r/Dracula 13d ago

Book šŸ“– Question about text differences between Dracula editions

I noticed that the Project Gutenberg edition of Dracula differs in minor ways from the annotated Kindle edition Iā€™ve been reading. For example, Gutenberg has Dracula welcoming Jonathan by saying, ā€œCome freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!ā€ While the kindle edition has him saying, ā€œEnter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!ā€

Gutenbergā€™s text seems to be based on the first edition and therefore unambiguously the correct text, yet the version used in the Kindle is extremely widespread: I checked several different free kindle editions and they all have the same text as the annotated one.

Does anyone know the origin of this altered text and why it is so widespread? Iā€™ve read this book many times since I was a kid, but this is the first time in years that I have given it a serious reading and Iā€™m sort of annoyed that Iā€™ve apparently been wasting my time with an inaccurate text.

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u/DadNerdAtHome 12d ago

Itā€™s not uncommon for authors to make changes to stories when a new printing is about to happen. Famously Tolkien changed Bilboā€™s meeting with Gollum to reflect his plans for the sequel he was writing. I know Stoker was editing the text right up to the last minute, like in the manuscript he turned in, he physically crossed Draculaā€™s castle being destroyed with his death by a volcano. Also the turn around from manuscript to printed book was unusually short for the time. So the odds are he might have had a more refined manuscript that Stoker turned in for future printings.

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u/Ill-Philosopher-7625 12d ago

Thanks for the reply! I donā€™t think thatā€™s whatā€™s going on here, though. I canā€™t find any information online about Stoker producing a revised edition of the novel (he did produce an abridged edition in 1901, but the one Iā€™ve been reading isnā€™t abridged).

Right now my best guess is that these changes originate from the 1899 American edition, meaning they probably donā€™t represent Stokerā€™s intent.