His novel
Dracula has become one of the most influential and well-known works of both vampire fiction and
English literature. Count Dracula is also ranked among the most depicted fictional characters of the Victorian era, with over 700 adaptations. The significance of the novel and its direct impact on subsequent vampire-themed works led to Stoker being popularly regarded as "the father of vampire fiction." The short story collection
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories was published in 1914 by Stoker's widow,
Florence Stoker, who was also his
literary executrix. The first film adaptation of
Dracula was
F. W. Murnau's
Nosferatu, released in 1922, with
Max Schreck starring as Count Orlok. Florence Stoker eventually sued the filmmakers and was represented by the attorneys of the British Incorporated Society of Authors. Her chief legal complaint was that she had neither been asked for permission for the adaptation nor paid any royalty. The case dragged on for some years, with Mrs. Stoker demanding the destruction of the negative and all prints of the film. The suit was finally resolved in the widow's favour in July 1925. A single print of the film survived, however, and it has become well known. The first authorised film version of
Dracula did not come about until almost a decade later when
Universal Studios released
Tod Browning's
Dracula starring
Bela Lugosi.