The Beetle outsold Dracula in 1897. It has been largely forgotten since. There’s a lesson in that about the relationship between cultural moment and lasting reputation, but I’m not sure it’s the lesson either Marsh or Stoker would have wanted to draw.

What it is, undeniably, is propulsive. You read it quickly. You don’t entirely know why.

— G. H. Schreiber

28/12/2025