Synopsis: "Eighteen blood-chilling new tales of those who have preyed upon humankind for centuries, thirsting to drink the rich red wine of life..." (from the front cover of the DAW Books first edition.) From time immemorial they have stalked the night - Creatures of legend - or something all too real? For centuries people have whispered about the creatures of darkness, those who wear the guise of humans to prey upon their all-to-mortal kin, of those neither dead nor alive, who exist in a sort of immortal twilight and attain both the semblance and substance of life by drinking the blood of their helplessly mesmerized victims. Here then are eighteen, original tales of vampires down through history, from the eras of ancient Greece and Rome up to the modern day, some traditionally horrifying, some poignant, some with a humorous touch. From a vampire blessed by Christ to the truth about the notorious Oscar Wilde to a rollicking tale of vampirism and the Bow Street Runners, these memorable stories by such top tale-weavers as Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and Lois Tilton are sure to appeal to anyone who's ever been bitten by an interest in those mysterious, seductive, and deadly rulers of the night. (from the back cover of the DAW Books first edition)