Fun Facts Friday: Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker (8 November, 1847 – 20 April, 1912) was an Irish author who is best known for his 1897 novel Dracula.

Books by Henry Bram Stoker*

1. Born as Abraham Stoker in Dublin, Ireland, the author was the third of seven children.
2. His Brother, Sir William Thornley Stoker, 1st Baronet, was a surgeon and renowned medical writer.
3. Mr. Stoker dedicated his life to the theatre, and was the business manager of the Irving’s Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. John Irving was the most famous actor in London.
4. Florence Balcombe, the author’s wife was a woman known for her beauty. She has been courted by Oscar Wilde. The couple have known each other since they were students.
5. As  a strong believer in science, Mr. Stoker showed interest in scientific disciplines and medicine.
6. Mr. Stoker was distantly related o Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
7. As part of the theatre management, Mr. Stoker got to travel the world. Ironically he never visited Eastern Europe, the setting for Dracula.
8. As a member of the London Library, Mr. Stoker has access to research for Dracula.
9. . In 2018 the library discovered the books he used for research, along with notes.
10. A short story collection, Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories was published posthumously by the author’s widow.
11. Each October, the Bram Stoker Festival takes place in Dublin to support the Bram Stoker Estate.

Books by Henry Bram Stoker*

Zohar — Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account