Emily Gerard was a nineteenth century author best known for the influence her collections of Transylvania folklore had on Bram Stoker and his creation of Dracula. She was born 7 May 1849 in Scotland and died 11 Jan 1905. She is sometimes credited as "Emily Gerard, Mrs de Laszowska", "Emily Laszowska", "Emily Gerard Laszowska", or "Emily de Laszowska Gerard", after her husband, a Hungarian cavalry officer. Her familiarity with Transylvanian folklore came about as a result of his stationing in the town of Temesvar, which is now located in the Romanian province of Transylvania, which formed a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before 1918. Map of Romania with Transylvania in yellow Transylvania (Romanian: or Transilvania; Hungarian: ; German: ; Serbian: or Erdelj / Ердељ) is a historical region in the center of Romania. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, and the name of its title character, the vampire Count Dracula. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Map of Romania showing Timisoara Timişoara (Hungarian: Temesvár, German: Temeswar or Temeschburg, Serbian: Temišvar, Turkish: Tamışvar) is a city in western Romania, in the Banat region, Timiş county, population 329,554 in 2000. ...

Known works by her include:

• "Transylvanian Superstitions." The Nineteenth Century, 1885, p.128-144.
• The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1888.
• The Extermination of Love: A fragmentary study in erotics, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1901.

More information about her may be found in the article:

• Heiss, Lokke. “Madame Dracula: The Life of Emily Gerard.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 10 (1999): 174-186.