John William Polidori (1795-1821) was a writer and medical doctor, most noted for being the personal physician to Lord Byron. He wrote the first vampire novel ever published in English, 70 years before Dracula. His sister married exiled Italian scholar Gabriele Rossetti, making John an uncle to Maria Francesca Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti and Christina Rossetti.
Varla Ventura is the author of
Fairies, Pookas and Changelings; Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night; Among the Mermaids; The Book of the Bizarre; and
Beyond Bizarre. She can often be found lurking about the deep dark woods and lakes of Minnesota on the hunt for mushrooms, magical herbs, and the elusive little men of legend. Visit her at www.varlaventura.net.
