Today, vampires are everywhere – from the silver screen to the small screen, in fiction and in art, and even within the hallowed halls of academia. But it wasn’t always so. For past generations, these revenants still held more fear than fascination, living in the shadows and hunting us in the dark – the stuff of nightmares. But somewhere along the way we tamed the beast, and it became a curiosity that we still often feared yet wanted to understand, a creature that could even be our friend – and, as is now often the case, even our lover.

During the late 1940s, regularly-scheduled television programs emerged within the United States and elsewhere across the globe. Much of the early programming was based on established radio shows of the day, including The Texaco Star Theater on NBC, which featured comedian Milton Berle. During a live broadcast on September 27, 1949, Bela Lugosi, best known for his iconic role in Dracula (1931), took part in a skit where he appeared dressed as the infamous vampire – and so began the undead presence on television!

This medium has played a critical role in the vampire’s enduring hold on the human psyche, because it’s through their undead voices that storytellers often explore the social mores of society. The image of the vampire has become as diverse as the population that it preys upon, with every generation creating their own interpretation. The vampire has become a reflection of us and our culture at various moments in time; there is no limit to the ideas that can be explored through the lens of these often-conflicted characters.

Un-Dead TV is the first book of its kind to document the hundreds of unique vampire appearances on television, from 1949 through to 2012. The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s death, an event that will once again bring attention to his work and its influence on our popular culture. Un-Dead TV will stand out as a unique publication, taking a refreshing look at the genre in greater detail than has ever been attempted before.

Experts agree that 2012 will see yet another surge in the popularity of vampires, and Un-Dead TV will be the perfect choice for those looking for a unique and bloody good book that will stand out from the rest of the crowd.