Five Forgotten Literary Vampires

Flavorwire praises those vampires that have gone before those in Interview with the Vampire and the Twilight series.

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Varney the Vampire (1847)

First published as a serialized gothic saga, Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood was later adapted from its cheap “penny dreadful” format into a single epic volume. Although authorship remains unclear between either Thomas Preskett Prest or James Malcolm Rymer, Varney is most often attributed to the latter (as is Sweeney Todd, incidentally). The saga concerns the titular vampire, who emerges as a rather sympathetically self-loathing figure despite terrorizing the Bannerworths (his implied mortal family). Varney establishes archetypal vampire characteristic like fangs, superhuman strength, and hypnotic powers.