Cover blurb:

Vampires are all-American guys. Having successfully survived their journey from eastern Europe, they have taken root in American culture where for some people they are entertainment and for others a definite reality. In this fascinating book, Norine Dresser, a folklorist, brings us the fruit of her unique research into the American vampire phenomenon. We meet individuals who enhance their sex lives through imbibing-though in very small amounts- another's blood and who dress and mask themselves as those idolized creatures. And we meet others whose obsession with vampires is confined to viewing endless reruns of "Dark Shadows." That soap opera's legions of fans, their annual conventions, and newsletters for a subculture all its own.

American vampires are big business, Dresser reveals; the vampire image occurs frequently in our daily lives-in television and radio commercials, on breakfast cereal boxes, on greeting cards, and, of course, in Halloween costumes. In short, from crib to crypt Americans are bombarded with the vampire icon-amusing, sexually titillating, and, of course, terrifying. Professor Dresser presents her scholarly research with a journalistic flair and wry humor that will appeal to a wide audience of readers.