Twilight and History

by Nancy R. Reagin

The first look at the history behind Stephenie Meyer's bestselling Twilight series, timed to release with the third movie, Eclipse

The characters of the Twilight Saga carry a rich history that shapes their identities and actions over the course of the series. Edward, for instance, may look like a seventeen-year-old teen heartthrob, but was actually born in 1901 and died during the Spanish Influenza of 1918. His adopted...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470581786
• ISBN13: 9780470581780
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Twilight and History

This was a fun and even fascinating book comparing our beloved Twilight characters and their backstories with actual historic events. I loved it! It makes history more exciting to read about.

Very Good

This is a very good book, not just because it's about Twilight, but because it gives you a bases in history. I really enjoyed reading it because it was very interesting to delve into the character backgrounds and see the differences between history and "imagined history". I highly recommend this book to all Twi-hards or Fanpires (which ever you prefer) and everyone else who likes history../

Brilliant Book

"Twilight and History" offers an entertaining and informative insight into Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" from a historical point of view. In "Twilight and History," the authors delve into the histories of several characters. Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Jacob, and other characters receive acknowledgement. The characters of "Twilight" come from different time periods and thus experienced completely different lives. Along with vastly different histories to examine, "Twilight and History" offers different authors' insights. For example,Elizabeth Baird Hardy delves into the life of a Civil War soldier in her chapter "Jasper Hale, the Oldest Living Confederate Veteran." In the chapter, she perfectly eximplifies Jasper's place in his past life. If 19th century soldiers do not stir interest, perhaps, a short history of asylums,such as in Grace Loiacono and Laura Loiacono's "Better Turned than 'Cured,'" might peek curiosity. "Twilight and History" offers something to hold any historical reader's attention. At times, the characters garner a chapter focusing solely on his or her period of history and the effects experienced by the character because of living in that time. In other chapters, the authors treat characters as a whole unit backdropped against a particular time period. This allows readers to gain an understanding of how the Cullens and other characters, such as the Volturi, experienced and express history as seperate beings and as a whole. "Twilight and History" made an absolutely brilliant book. After reading the book, I feel that I know more about varied historical topics. As a fan of "Twilight," I loved examining the characters as historical figures. In particular, I enjoyed learning about the history of Civil War soldiers, asymlums, and of vampires in folklore. I give "Twilight and History" five out of five stars and would recommend it to any "Twilight" fan who holds an interet in history. DJ

The Stories behind The Story

This book picks up where Stephenie Meyer leaves off. After all, we'd never get around to finding out what happens to Bella in the modern day if the author had taken the time to explore the detailed back stories of her immortal cast of characters. Now we get a chance to read about the parts she had to leave out. In the introduction of Twilight and History, there's a timline that shows major life events of the Twilight characters plotted against world events like the English Civil War or the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's startling to see this visual representation of just how long some of the vampires have been around. But it's even more fun to read what professionally trained historical experts have to say about the life and times of the Cullens and their associates. The individual articles go deeply into the lives the characters might have lived and the past cultures that influenced them. The two articles focused on Edward really helped me understand what sort of world he grew up in and how it shaped his personal moral code and romantic ideals. At the same time, reading about the real history of the Quileute people and their interactions with whites and the US government gave me a lot of insight into Jacob's drives and expectations. For me, though, the most fascinating article was the one about how the Volturi lived during the renaissance. I love Italian history, and it was a treat for me to go back over places and events I'd studied many times, only now imagining them from a vampire's perspective. Taking the little morsels of history that Stephenie Meyer sprinkles through the Twilight saga and bringing them out in full and accurate detail make this book a delightful companion to the original series.

Some interesting history about Twilight characters

I downloaded it and am about half-way through. So far, really interesting use of historical backdrops to explore the lives and cultures of the Twilight characters. You learn about the cultures that Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Edward grew up in, and I thought that the chapter on the Volturi was pretty funny. They certainly have Aro's number. Haven't started the section on the Quileutes yet. The authors note where Stephenie Meyer got some details wrong, sure. But most fans are going to like this book. If you like history, anyway. A fun way to learn some new history AND more about Twilight and your favorite characters. I'm enjoying it. A shame the reviewer below didn't even read this book before writing up the long post on how Meyer got it wrong in Twilight.