A Note on Amateurs

I've been made the subject of a thread on TFO's MSN Group, DAWWIH.

Message 1 in the thread is covered elsewhere, so I'll respond to Message 2 in this post.

First we begin with TFO's comments about labeling myself an amateur vampirologist:

Anthony Hogg describes himself as an "amateur vampirologist" with the nickname "tnuocalucard" which, of course, spells Count Dracula backwards. I am beginning to understand why he terms himself "amateur" in the vampirological stakes!

Allow me to explain why I refer to myself as an amateur vampirologist.

Firstly, a vampirologist is someone who studies vampires. This doesn't mean they go about prying open coffin lids and such, it means they take a scholarly, academic bent to the subject in question.

I consider myself to be an amateur because even though I've been studying the topic for some years, I've never had anything formally published on it.

The use of "tnuocalucard" (yes, Count Dracula backwards) in one of my Amazon accounts wasn't a reference to being an amateur, but a bit of an in-joke. It was the name of a character featured in a small play I wrote as an assignment for one of my high school subjects. I hope that clarifies things for TFO.

That said, I'm rather amused by TFO's gloating over my use of the term "amateur", considering that I've exposed him as a blatant plagiarist. Not bad for an "amateur", eh?

Niels K. Petersen, a Danish vampirologist, has also revealed the same thing.

So, going by the dictionary definition, not only can we dismiss TFO as an amateur ("1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons") but also as a vampirologist, in one fell swoop.

Next, TFO decides to discuss links to me on Amazon, as well as an criticism of my list, "The Complete Vampirologist's Library":

Anthony Hogg's list of vampire books (including his reviews of same) omit any mention of The Highgate Vampire, The Vampire Hunter's Handbook and Carmel. I wonder why? Perhaps they are not suitable material for "amateur vampirologists"?

I find this is a rather daft criticism - especially considering the vast amount of books available on the subject - but I'll respond to it, nonetheless.

At the time of composing that list a few years ago, I hadn't read any of those books. I gave mention to the ones I had read.

Admittedly, it was a bit premature calling the list "Complete", but I think it still holds up well. I might even write a follow-up some day.

That said, I have since read the first edition of The Highgate Vampire (1985).

And I still wouldn't add it to the list.

I've yet to read The Vampire Hunter's Handbook (1997), but I'd be surprised if the 96 page tome would have anything of much use, considering the reviews it's received. Like this one from Amazon member, Cupcakedoll:

This is a very thin book.

A short section is about hunting vampires.

The rest is the author arguing against the ideas of another group at the time. It wasn't much interest or use to me so I was glad I got it by interlibrary loan before I spent any money.

As to Carmel (2000), dubbed a "sequel" to Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), I don't quite see the correlation in it being valuable for vampire research. Especially considering that it's a work of fiction.

You should also know that it's not wise to purely rely on books written by a single author. However, it's nice and "convenient" that each of the Sean Manchester book covers you reproduced, all lead to sites affiliated to the Vampire Research Society's website...where they're offered for sale.

Are there any other books in the field that you'd recommend? Ones that aren't written by Manchester?

On Diaries, Part Two

(Continued from previous blog entry.)

We now move along to "The case of Mercy Brown". His method of investigating the case? Copying it from Wikipedia's "Mercy Brown vampire incident" article (last modified on 11 January 2009, at 15:55).

The same level of originality is to be found in "Emma S------ and Eleonore Zügun", which is another extract from Montague Summers' The Vampire: His Kith & Kin (1928), which is at least cited. Sames goes for "Concomitants of Vampirism" and "Introducing Montague Summers" (aka "The Vampire: His Kith & Kin").

Meanwhile, "Discerning the Vampire" cribs portions from Seán Manchester's "A Demonologist's Reflections on Time Travel", an extract from Stray Ghosts.

And last of all, his most recent entry, "Montague Summers", is a copy-n-paste job of the Vampire Research Society's "Montague Summers" page.

The only entries that I had a bit of difficulty in tracing verbatim content from, were "The haunting of Elizabeth Wojdyla" and "The case of Petre Toma".

So what do we have with Diary of a Vampirologist? A "diary" that regurgitates the contents of other websites, which it could just as easily link to and/or provide commentary on. Its author is a "vampirologist" whose study is all but non-existent, going by the content relayed thus far.

Even his page design, page name and username have been borderline ripped-off from me. Indeed, he has previously "tailed" me in other mediums, as well as repeatedly plagiarised material, so his latest incarnation comes as no real shock. His agenda is an apparent mouthpiece for the Vampire Research Society, as is apparent from his frequent "borrowings" and dissemination of their writings. I also suspect his assumption of identities similar to mine is an attempt to get people confused as to thinking we are one and the same person.

This is highlighted be his approbation of one of my usernames, by aping the title of my blog and even by outright copying the title and format (which, I admittedly based on Magia Posthuma's) of another of my blogs.

The sinister intent of such actions becomes apparent, especially after Ms. LuluBelle's recent comment to "Imitation Isn't Always the Sincerest Form of Flattery", regarding Niel's uncovering of plagiarism on Diary of a Vampirologist:

That's interesting... I actually almost deleted you off my blogroll because of the plagerism post. Glad I didn't, because it wasn't you!

Oh, and now that he's been rumbled, don't be surprise if a few changes start taking place on his blog. Which is why I took the recourse of saving the pages I've discussed. Wouldn't be the first time.