Robert Eighteen-Bisang

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Robert Eighteen
Born1947
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Died29 September 2020
Other namesRobert Eighteen-Bisang
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
Occupation(s)Writer, scholar
Known forWriting, book collecting and bibliographic research, Transylvania Press
Notable workBram Stoker's Notes for Dracula
PartnerMatilda Bisang (1972 – his death)
AwardsLord Ruthven Award 2009

Robert Eighteen-Bisang (1947 – September 29, 2020)[1] was a Canadian author and scholar who was one of the world's foremost authorities on vampire literature and mythology.[2]

His book Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition, which was written with Elizabeth Miller, won the Lord Ruthven Award.[3] The "Ruthven," as it is often called, is awarded annually for the most outstanding work in vampire fiction or scholarship.

Other books by Eighteen-Bisang include Vampire Stories, which includes vampire stories by Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire, The Captain of the Polestar, John Barrrington Cowles, and The Parasite, along with The Adventure of the Illustrious Client – which Eighteen-Bisang claimed is a rationalized version of Dracula – and four more stories with tenuous connections to vampires. Publishers Weekly called the book "a stretch" and something "only completionists are likely to add this to their collections."[4]

Personal life[edit]

Eighteen-Bisang grew up in Toronto, Ontario as the son of a professional poker player. In university, he was a backgammon player and won four championships. Eighteen-Bisang aspired to be a university professor, but was talked out of the position by his professors themselves, believing the position would be too restrictive for him. After a career in marketing, Eighteen-Bisang gained an interest in vampire literature and started his research, collecting and writing.[5] As an adult, Eighteen-Bisang still played in backgammon tournaments and was a member of the Vancouver Backgammon Club.[6]

Eighteen-Bisang had amassed the largest collection of vampiric literature in the world, which he housed at his personal residence.[7][8] The collection included about 2,500 books, 2,000 comic books, 1,000 magazines and over 100 films, including a first edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Academic involvement[edit]

Eighteen-Bisang is credited with proving that the novel Dracula is based on the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.[5][9] He also discounted that Bram Stoker based his iconic character Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, as many people believe.[10]

Eighteen-Bisang was a member of the American chapter of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, led by president J. Gordon Melton,[11] and was a member of the Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars.[5] He founded Transylvania Press, a publishing company which "publishes high-quality vampiriana for collectors, libraries and fans."[12]

He had been invited to lecture on vampires in Dallas, London, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria. In 1997, he was guest of honor at Dracula ’97 in Los Angeles.

Literature[edit]

As author[edit]

  • Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition by Bram Stoker, Eighteen-Bisang and Elizabeth Miller[13]

As editor[edit]

Referenced in[edit]

  • Best New Horror, Volume 6[16]
  • Bram Stoker's Dracula: a documentary volume by Elizabeth Miller[17]
  • Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: An Annotated Transcription and Comprehensive Analysis by Michael Barsanti, Eighteen-Bisang and Elizabeth Miller[18]
  • Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010 by John Edgar Browning and Caroline Joan (Kay) Picart[19]
  • The Complete Vampire Companion by Rosemary Guiley and J. B. Macabre[20]
  • The New Annotated Dracula by Bram Stoker[21]
  • Pulse of Darkness by Christopher Sequeira and Kurt Stone
  • The Soul of an Angel by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
  • University Affairs
  • Young Lusty Sluts by Michael Goss

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Robert S. Eighteen-Bisang". Brantford Expositor. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  2. ^ Now, Surrey (31 Oct 2008). "Does this man think he's a vampire?". Canada. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Robert Eighteen-Bisang". Science Fiction Awards Database. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Vampire Stories". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Zamprelli, Pascal (1 Dec 2008). "The Indie scene". Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Vancouver Backgammon Club". Vancouver Backgammon Club. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  7. ^ "VINTAGE VAMPIRE STORIES Edited by HWA Member Robert Eighteen-Bisang". Dark Whispers. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Vintage Vampire Stories". Abe Books. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ^ Eighteen-Bisang, Robert. "Dracula, Jack the Ripper and A Thirst for Blood". Casebook. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. ^ Holte, Jim. "the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol 21". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  11. ^ "An Unquenchable Thirst". Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Transylvania". Transylvania Press. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  13. ^ Stoker, Bram (2008). Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition. McFarland. ISBN 9780786477302.
  14. ^ Doyle, Arthur Conan (2013). Vampire Stories. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781628731453.
  15. ^ Dalby, Richard (2013). Vintage Vampire Stories. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781626368804.
  16. ^ Best New Horror, Volume 6. Carroll & Graf. 1994. p. 17. ISBN 9780786702770.
  17. ^ Miller, Elizabeth (2005). Bram Stoker's Dracula: a documentary volume. Thomson Gale. ISBN 9780787668419.
  18. ^ Barsanti, Michael (2008). Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: An Annotated Transcription and Comprehensive Analysis. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786434107.
  19. ^ Picart, Caroline Joan (Kay) (2010). Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010. McFarland. ISBN 9780786462018.
  20. ^ Guiley, Rosemary (1994). The complete vampire companion. Macmillan. p. 198. ISBN 9780671850241.
  21. ^ Stoker, Bram (2008). The New Annotated Dracula. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. xxiv, xlix, 7, 235. ISBN 9780393064506.
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