In antiquity there were divinities who demanded blood sacrifices. In the Middle Ages tales of the "walking dead" and other bloodthirsty beings were as prevalent as the plague. Between then and now, from Transylvania to London, legends, firsthand accounts, literature, and film have conspired to distill into one being all our worst fears and most secret desires. This volume explores why the vampire has endured through the centuries and reminds us that the undead live on.