James Malcolm Rymer 
Varney the Vampire 
The Feast of Blood

The modern-day vampire story has its roots in an unlikely source: cheap paper pamphlets that were sold on street corners in Victorian England. Called "penny dreadfuls, " these pamphlets strung out sensationalized tales over dozens — and sometimes even hundreds — of episodes. Varney the Vampire is a classic of the genre, and many of the elements of classic vampire lore originated in this sprawling, deliciously pulpy tale.