The Vampire Empire
[More about the Transylvanian Society of Dracula]|
THE VAMPIRE EMPIRE
(Formerly THE INTL. COUNT DRACULA FAN CLUB)
SPECIAL NOTICE: The Vampire Empire now serves as a Research facility only. The following is the history of the society which was originally founded in 1965. Further information is available from the president of the society, Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson.
Photos (from left to right):
(1) Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson, President and Founder of The Count Dracula Fan Club, and the Vampire Empire. (Photo: Jerome Dillon) (2) Some first and early Stoker editions (Photo: Mark Benecke) (3) Life mask of Jonathan Frid and vampire memorabilia. (4) Part of the club's collection. (5) Vlad Tepes collection. (6) The famous "Vampire-Santa" Christmas tree at Club Headquarters.
WEB FRIENDS OF THE VAMPIRE EMPIRE
Elisabeth Miller, Canada: www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller
Mark Benecke, Forensic Biologist, Clinical Vampirism: www.benecke.com / http://tsdracula.org/ (Transylvanian Society of Dracula (Europe))
Norine Dresser: www.norinedresser.com
RarigNac: www.OnTheVampire.com
THE BRAM STOKER SOCIETY: Contact: dlass@tcd.ie
JEANNE CAVELOS: The Many Faces of Van Helsing
THE IRVING SOCIETY: The Irving Society
RECOMMENDED MAGAZINES
"Bite Me" (UK; discontinued) & "Happy Halloween" (USA). For further information on any or all of the above, please contact us at: vampirempire146@hotmail.com
Time marches on and we are keeping right in step with our various plans and projects. The Count Dracula Fan Club had a long and successful run (over 35 years!), but when our Dracula Museum moved to Austria, we decided to rethink, refresh and redefine the society. This resulted in the formation of THE VAMPIRE EMPIRE -- and we're never looking back!
As a registered member of the VE, you will receive:
1. Complimentary copy of The Bizarre World of Vampires, a delightful, witty and informative book on the vampire in folklore, as well as a copy of Private Files of a Vampirologist: Case Histories & Letters, by the president and founder of the society, Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson.
2. Quarterly newsletters with our Super Sweepstakes, list of recommended books, movie reviews, plus special mailings with surprises galore. Best of all, and as in the past, we will have lots of opportunities for members to participate in club activities.
3. FREE membership in our exclusive PEN PAL NETWORK which is co-sponsored by THE VAMPIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE. (Note: The Pen Pal Network is for registered members of the VIE and/or TVE only).
4. A copy of The Vampire Empire Handbook when published.
5. Access to two e-mail HOTLINES. We'll always be here for you!
6. FREE membership in the INTL. FRANKENSTEIN SOCIETY.
7. Invitation to the ANNUAL CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE to see our famous VAMPIRE-SANTA tree which has been featured in numerous national and international TV documentaries, magazines and various other publications. (Photo to registered members upon request).
Annual fee: $30.00 (USA) $35.00 (all other places) // British members may pay by check (20 pounds Sterling) // In the USA, payments must be in the form of a money order, made out to Margaret J. Youngson.
Check/Money Order (U.S. funds only, please) to: DRACULA UNLIMITED, Penthouse North, 29 Washington Square West, New York, N.Y. 10011-9180, USA
HISTORY
THE COUNT DRACULA FAN CLUB (now THE VAMPIRE EMPIRE) was founded in 1965 by Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson, and has reigned supreme among Dracula Societies, offering its members numerous benefits including the opportunity to win rare books and other prizes by way of the club's frequent sweepstakes.
The club's well-stocked Research Library has been used by such notables as Norine Dresser, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Martin V. Riccardo, Carol Page, Prof. L.R.N. Ashley, Matthew Bunson, J. Gordon Melton, Elizabeth Miller, Barbara Belford and David Skal. Other club divisions include: THE VAMPIRE BOOKSHOP which specializes in books published by the club's DRACULA PRESS, The Research Referral Centre, Jane OZ's Vault of Vampire Vagaries, The Monster Menage, Maggie's Morgue (formerly THE VAMPIRE'S VAULT at #1 Fifth Avenue), The Golem Group, The Lugosi Legacy, The Werewolf in Fact, Fiction & Fantasy, Special Interest Division, etc.
Our list of Patrons is impressive indeed, and includes Norine Dresser, Katherine Ramsland, Bernard Davies, and Dr. Arthur Roth who writes: "No other Dracula Society offers as many membership benefits, provides as many services, or furnishes as many creative outlets as THE VAMPIRE EMPIRE. The society promises to continue to maintain a delicate balance between the serious aspects of the vampire genre and a light-hearted approach, thus appealing to all age groups."
DO JOIN US! YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID.
Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson, President and Founder
Thomas A. Peck, Vice President (USA)
Dr. Mark Benecke, Vice President (Europe)
M. Jane OZ, Executive Director
Jerome Miller, Treasurer
PATRONS:
Norine Dresser
Katherine Ramsland
Bernard Davies
Dr. Arthur Roth
SPECIAL ADVISORS:
Dr. Elizabeth Miller
Martin V. Riccardo
Eric Held
Marjorie E. Keyes
Robert Quincy Clark
And here comes...
A TRIBUTE TO THE PREZ
Nobody but nobody has done more for vampire fandom than Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson who founded the first, the only and the original Count Dracula Fan Club in 1965.
Youngson's involvement and influence within the vampire community defies belief. The thousands of vampire web sites dedicated to Dracula, Vlad Tepes, Bram Stoker and the vampire in general. are proof of the ever-growing popularity of the elusive Undead. And Jeanne Youngson was there first!
No other Dracula Society even appeared on the scene (with the exception of the in-name-only Count Dracula Society in Los Angeles) until the 1970's, when several other Dracula associations were developed in both the United States and England.
Youngson's fan club is the only Dracula organization to start and successfully maintain a Dracula Museum. Her turn-of-the-century "Worldwide Vampire Census" has been called the definitive survey of the New Age Vampire, while Private Files of a Vampirologist: Case Histories and Letters has been acknowledged as one of the best presentations of contemporary vampire "wouldbe's", published to date. The Research Library, founded by Youngson in 1969, now includes her personal collection of vampire, werewolf and Dracula books, and has been used by many famous authors and scholars unable to find relevant material elsewhere. And these are just a few of the accomplishments that make "The Prez", as Jeanne is known to both members of the society and those who work with her, a very special person indeed.
LONG LIVE THE PREZ, AND MAY SHE CONTINUE TO ENHANCE AND ENCHANT THE DRACULA SCENE AS SHE HAS FOR, LO, THESE MANY, MANY YEARS!
(Signed) Her loyal subjects at Vampire Empire Headquarters.
Way back in the dark ages, the 1960s that is, few people knew from vampires. Some avid horror movie fans were aware of the undead from seeing Hammer Studio's "House of Dracula" and "Bride", and of course the 'zine, "Famous Monsters" and the TV show "The Munsters": helped a bit. Still, vampires were not really de rigueur until the 1970s and '80s, when they began to capture the public's imagination in a big way.
see photo.
The photograph on the left shows Jeanne Youngson pointing to a spot in New Orlean's Lafayette Cemetery where an alleged vampire-ghost was "seen" as recently as 1989.