A Library in Ireland Held a 134-Year-Old Treasure: The Lost Story Bram Stoker Wrote Before Dracula

This discovery, which could be the inspiration for a future film, centers around Gibbet Hill, an area near Hindhead, Surrey, just outside London. Historically, it was known as a site of public executions, where criminals’ bodies were displayed on a “gibbet” (gallows) as a warning to others. Experts believe this grim atmosphere, steeped in death, may have drawn Bram Stoker’s attention as he began developing Dracula. Now, the “origin” of his work has been found.

The news. According to The Irish Times, in October 2023, an amateur historian walked into the National Library of Ireland (NLI) in Stoker’s hometown of Dublin. Among the books and newspapers, he came across an unusual find—a text from 1890 that mentioned Gibbet Hill. Unbeknownst to him, he had just uncovered a lost short story by the famous author, published seven years before his iconic Gothic novel, Dracula, and subsequently forgotten.

Going deeper. The man behind this discovery is Brian Cleary, who shared his story with The Irish Times. He explained that after suffering sudden hearing loss in 2021, he spent more time in the NLI. It was during this period that he stumbled upon this long-lost literary treasure.

According to the BBC, It was about a year ago when Cleary, an avid fan of Stoker’s work, stumbled upon an unfamiliar title in an 1890 Christmas supplement of the Daily Express Dublin Edition. “I read the words ‘Gibbet Hill,’ and I knew that wasn’t a Bram Stoker story I had ever heard of in any biographies or bibliographies. I was just astounded, flabbergasted. I sat there, staring at the screen, wondering, am I the only living person who’s read this? What on earth do I do with it?” he said.

How to find a literary lost work. After his remarkable discovery, Cleary immediately contacted NLI director Audrey Whitty. “I’ve found something extraordinary in your newspaper archives—you won’t believe it,” Cleary told her. Whitty recalled Cleary’s excitement: “His astonishing amateur detective work is a testament to the richness of the library’s archives. There are truly world-important discoveries waiting to be found.”

The next step was to bring the discovery to the attention of historians and experts. After conducting initial research, Cleary reached out to Stoker biographer Paul Murray, who confirmed that no record of this story had surfaced for over a century—134 years, to be precise. Murray noted that in 1890, Stoker was a young writer taking his first steps toward writing Dracula. “It’s a classic Stoker story, the struggle between good and evil, evil which crops up in exotic and unexplained ways,” Cleary added.

What Gibbet Hill is about. The story centers on a man (the narrator) who encounters three young men standing near the monument dedicated to a sailor murdered by criminals whose bodies were hung on a gallows at Gibbet Hill as a warning to travelers. The four characters ascend the site together, but the narrator, distracted by the view, loses sight of the young men.

He falls asleep under some trees and awakens to a chilling scene: The three young men are standing nearby as a snake slithers toward them, passing over their feet. The men appear to communicate with and control the snake. This tale aligns with Stoker’s fascination with the macabre, dark legends, and symbolically charged historical locations like Gibbet Hill, which Charles Dickens also mentioned in his 1839’ novel Nicholas Nickleby.

Re-publication. Readers can now access this long-lost work by the master of Gothic fiction, thanks to a new publication by the Rotunda Foundation, which includes artwork by Irish artist Paul McKinley. This institution serves as the fundraising arm of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, where Cleary once worked.

In addition to its literary significance, the publication serves a charitable purpose: All proceeds will benefit the newly established Charlotte Stoker Fund, named after the author’s mother, who was an advocate for addressing hearing loss. The fund will support research into childhood hearing loss. The Bram Stoker Festival, which will take place in Dublin later this month, will also showcase this fascinating discovery.

Image | Public domain edited by Xataka En

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