Raymond T. McNally

Radu R. Florescu

A biography of the real 15th-century Wallachian leader known as Vlad the Impaler, who inspired the classic horror novel by Bram Stoker. Dreaded by his enemies, emulated by later rulers like Ivan the Terrible, honored by his countrymen even today, Vlad Dracula was surely one of the most intriguing figures to have stalked the corridors of European and Asian capitals in the fifteenth century. Vlad Dracula also served as the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale. However, as this biography proves, “the real Dracula is far more interesting than the fictional vampire” (Houston Chronicle). Covering Vlad Dracula’s entire life and subsequent legend, this book includes “a fascinating chapter on the mystery of Dracula’s empty grave” (New York Times Book Review). Praise for Dracula, Prince of Many Faces “Florescu and McNally manage to capture the ruthlessness, romance, and courage that characterized Dracula’s ultimately pitiable life. . . . A fascinating look at political intrigue in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe.” —Lamar B. Graham, Boston Phoenix Literary Supplement

His Life and His Times

Dracula, Prince of Many Faces

Matei Cazacu

This book tells the story of the Florescu family, from its feudal blood ties, to notorious 15th century figure Vlad Tepes (Count Dracula), right up to present day. The authors drew on research that had mostly been kept in family hands, and include original photographs and a full family genealogy.

A Florescu Family Saga

Dracula's Bloodline

This engrossing book tells the story of the Florescu family, from its feudal blood ties, to the notorious 15th century figure Vlad Tepes (Count Dracula), right up to present day, touching on such diverse personalities as the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, and Michael Jackson. In the tradition of Alex Haley’s Roots, Dracula’s Bloodline relates a multi-generational saga through the prism of one family’s narrative, from medieval Eastern Europe to the post-Communist era. The book provides an inside look at Romania’s bloody and turbulent history—a mostly untold narrative that embraces the cruel Ottoman invasions, vying boyars seeking to change the political order at home, and the toppling of the Ceausescu regime. The story of each century is told through the eyes of one Florescu (or more) who had a unique perch from which to view his or her contemporary society. Florescu and Cazacu drew on research that had mostly been kept in family hands. To track the Florescu footprint down through the centuries since the 1400s, they used many sources: the Brasov archives in Transylvania, select letters, unpublished diaries, and extensive family documents that have been scattered from Europe to the United States. This fully indexed book offers many photographs from family archives, as well as a glossary of terms and titles, and a full genealogy showing the Florescu’s family links to Vlad Tepes.

Radu R. Florescu

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