Rare letter offers glimpse into Bram Stoker’s early thoughts on Dracula

16 April 2025 · The Guardian

Steven Morris

Bram Stoker Estate account

Estate summary

Steven Morris reports the sale of a letter in which Bram Stoker sends an inscribed copy of Dracula to an unidentified Williams. Written on 7 July 1897, the note gives a glimpse of his informal correspondence shortly after publication. The accompanying image shows this actual letter, rather than his separate letter to David Bispham.

Source notes and excerpts

Read the dealer’s description and transcription. The manuscript and its uncertain reading should be distinguished from the dealer’s interpretation of its significance.

The Guardian report was published on 16 April 2025; the letter itself is dated 7 July 1897. The recipient is unidentified. The dealer’s transcription and the newspaper differ over an unclear word; the Estate does not settle that reading here.

Original source

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Bram Stoker’s letter to an unidentified Williams, dated 7 July 1897.Bayliss Rare Books, via The Guardian.