Updated November 2, 2026 · reading data through September 2026
Dracula
by Bram Stoker
Through letters and diary entries, a group of Victorians hunt the vampire Count Dracula. Atmospheric and foundational to the vampire genre. Read the full description
Best for: Readers who enjoy classic horror
Dracula is #53 on BookWard's Top 100 books for November 2026, with a BookWard Score of 63 out of 100. It is new on the chart this month.
BookWard review of Dracula
4 of 5 stars 4.0 out of 5, from 255 reader ratings
BookWard rates Dracula 4.0 out of 5. That is the average of 255 reader ratings on Open Library (4.00), adjusted toward the typical book so that a small number of ratings cannot inflate it. Beyond the rating, it is #53 on BookWard's Top 100 books; 2,241 readers want to read it, 218 are reading it right now and 471 have finished it.
How this rating works
BookWard’s rating is calculated, not hand-scored. We take the average rating readers have given the book on Open Library and adjust it toward the typical book: adjusted = (n × average + 25 × 3.8) ÷ (n + 25), where n is the number of ratings. A book needs at least 50 ratings to be rated. The rating reflects how readers received the book, not whether it is right for you. Your own ratings on your shelf are private and are not part of this number.
Dracula: reading interest over the past 12 months
Sources: Open Library’s public reading-log and ratings data (dump of 2026-09-30), Wikipedia page views and Wikidata. Monthly counts are exact; they show relative interest among readers of these public sources, not total readership.
Ranked against the other books on this list, Dracula’s reading interest has run from #24 to #52 over these 12 months. Interest rank blends shelf adds, Wikipedia page views and rating activity, each compared with the other 99 books that month.
Shelf adds by month
Dracula was added to Open Library readers’ shelves 639 times in the past 12 months, peaking in January 2026 with 74 (39% above its monthly average of 53). Over the latest three months (Jul 2026 to Sep 2026) shelf adds were down 1% on the three months before. 80% of the adds were “want to read”, 9% “currently reading” and 11% “already read”.
Want to read Currently reading Already read
Wikipedia page views
Its Wikipedia article was viewed 1,104,670 times in the past 12 months, peaking in October 2025 with 176,768 views. The latest three months were down 2% on the three before.
Source: Wikimedia monthly page views for the article Dracula.
Adaptations
- Dracula (television film), 2002
- Dracula: Dead and Loving It (film), 1995
- Bram Stoker's Dracula (film), 1992
Adaptations are listed from Wikidata; a release date near a rise in the charts above is context, not proof of a cause.
What the data says about Dracula
- Steady demand. Monthly shelf adds for Dracula stayed within a narrow band around 53, which is what a book with a constant stream of new readers looks like.
- Busiest and quietest months. January 2026 was its busiest month (74 adds), about 2.1 times its quietest, March 2026 (36).
- Attention and shelf adds move together. Months with more Wikipedia views for Dracula were also months with more shelf adds (correlation 0.50), which suggests the same events, such as new editions, adaptations or social media, drive both.
- Against its genre. It had 51% fewer shelf adds than the average Horror book on this list.
- Share of the list. It accounts for 0.6% of all shelf adds recorded for the Top 100 over these 12 months, #50 of 100.
- Its age. First published in 1897 (129 years ago), it is older than 96% of the books on the list.
Each finding is computed from the public data above and shown only when the numbers support it.
Dracula on the Top 100: rank history
First charted in November 2026. The chart gains a point with every monthly update, so its peak, climbs and falls will show here as they happen.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | #53 | 63 |
Is Dracula rising or falling?
Holding steady Its weekly, monthly and yearly ranks are close together, so interest is steady rather than spiking.
On Open Library, Dracula ranks #46 this week, #64 this month, and #64 over the past year. A longer bar means a higher position. Comparing the three windows shows whether readers are arriving faster than the book's long-term pace. Readings as of 2026-11-02.
Why Dracula made the Top 100
Dracula made the list mainly on momentum (+27.7 points) and being read right now (+16 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0). The BookWard Score blends five public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 and weighted as shown.
The reading-now, rating and rank signals come from Open Library’s public data, not from BookWard’s own readers. The score measures reading interest, not quality or sales. How the score works.
Open Library reader stats for Dracula
Source: Open Library public reading logs, as of 2026-11-02. BookWard’s own monthly snapshots are added to the picture, and anonymous BookWard reader data will be layered in as the community grows.
More readers have Dracula open right now than 33% of the other books on this list. These counts come from one public source, so they show relative interest rather than total readership.
Where it sits among Horror books
It is #3 of the 3 Horror books on this month’s list.
About Dracula
What it’s about
Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic novel unfolds through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles, and no single character carries the story. It begins with Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor, travelling to a castle in the Carpathians to help the mysterious Count Dracula buy a house near London. What Harker finds there unsettles him badly, and his escape leaves him in a Budapest hospital.
The Count then crosses to England aboard the Demeter, which runs aground at Whitby, and trouble follows him into the town. Lucy Westenra, courted by three suitors, falls strangely ill, and Professor Van Helsing recognizes the cause. Her friend Mina Murray, Harker's fiancée, soon joins a determined band that Van Helsing gathers to hunt the Count. Along the way we meet Renfield, a patient in an asylum who communicates with Dracula. Stoker drew on folklore and history. It is a slow, ominous tale of fear, loyalty, and the clash between old superstition and the modern world.
At a glance
- First published
- 1897-05-26
- Genre
- Horror
- Also described as
- epistolary fiction, Gothic fiction, horror fiction
- Length
- about 384 pages (the median across its editions)
- Original language
- English
- Languages
- editions in 16 languages listed on Open Library
- Editions
- 1,920 on Open Library
- Setting
- Whitby, Transylvania, London
From Open Library and Wikidata public records. Missing rows mean the records do not list that fact.
What reading it is like
At about 384 pages it is a longer read: roughly 8 hours at an average reading pace (about 250 words a minute, 300 words a page). Audiobook and edition lengths vary.
The premise
A young solicitor travels to a remote castle in Transylvania on business and slowly realizes his host is far from ordinary. Back in England, a circle of friends gradually pieces together a growing supernatural threat.
What you’ll get
- The foundational vampire tale
- Gothic atmosphere and suspense
- A story told through letters and diaries
You might skip it if you dislike slower, Victorian-era prose.
Pairs well with: The Picture of Dorian Gray · The Shining
Keep exploring the chart
Also on the chart at #52 and #54
More Horror on the Top 100
Questions about Dracula
What rank is Dracula on the Top 100 books?
Dracula is #53 on BookWard's Top 100 books for November 2026, with a BookWard Score of 63 out of 100. It is new on the chart this month.
Is Dracula rising or falling?
Holding steady. Its weekly, monthly and yearly ranks are close together, so interest is steady rather than spiking. On Open Library, Dracula ranks #46 this week, #64 this month, and #64 over the past year.
Why is Dracula on the Top 100?
Dracula made the list mainly on momentum (+27.7 points) and being read right now (+16 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0).
How many people are reading Dracula right now?
Open Library's reading logs show 218 readers currently reading Dracula, 2,241 who want to read it and 471 who have logged it as read (as of 2026-11-02). These are counts from one public source, not all readers.
How much interest has Dracula had over the past year?
639 Open Library shelf adds in the past 12 months (peak January 2026, 74); latest three months down 1% on the prior three; 1,104,670 Wikipedia views in the past 12 months (down 2% over the latest three months); Adaptations on Wikidata: Dracula (2002); Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995); Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Figures come from Open Library and Wikipedia public data.
Who is Dracula best for?
Readers who enjoy classic horror.
Ask a question about Dracula
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How we know
This page is built from public data: Open Library’s dated reading-log and ratings dumps, Wikipedia page views, Wikidata, and BookWard’s own monthly Top 100 snapshots. The interest rank blends shelf adds (45%), Wikipedia page views (30%), rating activity (10%) and, for months where a snapshot exists, BookWard’s own score (15%), each as a percentile among the Top 100 books. Every month shown is real data; nothing is estimated. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Last updated November 2026. Read the full methodology.
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