6 h 28 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A bright day in Munich leads a stubborn traveller toward a lonely tomb—and warnings he refuses to heed.
In Bram Stoker’s short gothic story Dracula’s Guest, an Englishman stops in Munich on his way to Transylvania. Before his carriage drive, hotel manager Herr Delbrück urges him to return before dark. His coachman, Johann, knows the country’s old fears and begs him to stay on the road. But the traveller’s curiosity carries him beyond their warnings.
It is the eve of Walpurgis Night, when old folk belief says spirits and witches walk. Pleasant fields and pine woods give way to cold air and a darkening sky. On foot, the Englishman finds himself caught in thickening snow. Among cypress trees stands the Countess’s marble tomb, its inscription drawing him closer as the storm closes around him.
What you’ll discover
- Warnings brushed aside Feel the tension between a traveller’s confidence and the fears of those who know the country.
- A landscape turning strange Follow a pleasant country drive toward cold, gathering clouds and the white dark of snow.
- Old fears abroad Enter the uneasy atmosphere of Walpurgis Night, shaped by beliefs about wandering spirits and witches.
- The tomb among cypresses Approach a grand, isolated tomb whose inscription catches the curious Englishman’s attention.
- One night of dread Discover a brief, self-contained tale of fear on the road toward Transylvania.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like ghost stories told in a firm, clear voice, spooky settings from Bavaria to Cornwall, and tales that end with a sharp sting.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Pride leads down the forbidden road
- Certainty leaves no room for warning
- Carelessness turns amusement into a threat
- Old grievances follow a new marriage
- A mocked prophecy unsettles a marriage
- A coin toss binds their lives
- Danger hides beneath ordinary appearances
- Vanity walks toward the quicksand
- Small choices carry danger forward
Who’s who
- The English travellerA confident holidaymaker in Bavaria who ignores his driver's warning and walks alone toward a deserted village on Walpurgis Night.
- Malcolm MalcolmsonA mathematics student who rents a lonely old house to study in peace and trusts reason over rumor.
- Elias P. HutchesonA talkative American on a Nuremberg honeymoon party who loves strange experiences and refuses to back down from any of them.
- Joshua ConsidineA happy young barrister who laughs at a gypsy queen's prophecy and refuses to keep secrets from his wife.
- Abel BehennaA dark, steady Cornish sailor who wins a coin toss for Sarah and sails abroad to trade for a year.
- Eric SansonAbel's fair, fiery rival and oldest friend, who stays in Pencastle and intends to win Sarah by persistence.
- Jacob SettleA quiet, kind laborer who lives alone on the moor and is haunted by a dream he cannot explain.
- Arthur Fernlee MarkamA London merchant who dresses in full Highland costume for his Scottish holiday and will not give it up.
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- Hardcover
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Dracula’s Guest
by Bram Stoker · 1914
On Walpurgis Night a traveller walks away from his frightened driver and into a graveyard where the dead travel fast.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you do if your driver begged you not to take a side road because of the night it is? In Dracula's Guest, an Englishman on a holiday drive from Munich laughs at the warning and sets off alone on foot.
Dracula’s Guest at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 40 min2 h 55 min fast, 4 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 52,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1914by Bram Stoker
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A walk into Walpurgis Night
Dracula's Guest opens on a bright morning in Munich. An Englishman sets out by carriage with a driver named Johann. The hotel head reminds the driver to be back by nightfall. He adds that they all know what night it is.
Once they are clear of town, the traveller asks the question directly. Johann crosses himself and answers with one word, Walpurgis Night. The old German belief is that on this night the dead walk and evil things are loose.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1914
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 10 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Stoker, Bram. Dracula’s Guest. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/draculas-guest.
Stoker, B. (2026). Dracula’s guest. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/draculas-guest (Original work published 1914)
Stoker, Bram. Dracula’s Guest. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/draculas-guest.
@book{stoker2026draculas,
author = {Stoker, Bram},
title = {Dracula’s Guest},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/draculas-guest},
note = {First published 1914}
}
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What is Dracula's Guest about?
The title story follows an Englishman who leaves his driver on Walpurgis Night and walks alone into a snowstorm and a graveyard in Bavaria. The book also holds eight other short supernatural and suspense tales by Bram Stoker.
Is Dracula's Guest part of Dracula?
The title story is a Bavarian prelude that is linked to the world of Dracula by its name and mood. It is a short, self-contained tale, so you can read it without knowing the novel.
What stories are in this collection?
There are nine: Dracula's Guest, The Judge's House, The Squaw, The Secret of the Growing Gold, The Gypsy's Prophecy, The Coming of Abel Behenna, The Burial of the Rats, A Dream of Red Hands and Crooken Sands.
The author
Bram Stoker
1847–1912 · Irish Gothic novelist
Bram Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, born in Dublin in 1847. He moved to London in 1878 and worked as manager of the Lyceum Theatre. He wrote Dracula (1897), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). He died in London in 1912.
More by Bram Stoker
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