For me, Dracula has always been associated with travel and beautiful historical places.

For the first time, I had been struck by the excitement of the traveler who looks history in her subtle face.

I wasn't brought up to be dazzled by money or fame.

These atheist cultures were certainly diligent in preserving the relics of their saints.

I've noticed Dracula was often as practical a fellow as he was a nasty one.

He can't really love anyone, you know, and in the end such people are always alone, no matter how much other people once loved them.

As a historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it. And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claws.