In 1971, coinciding with the release of The Omega Man, Japanese publisher of I Am Legend, Hayakawa, released Chikyu Saigo No Otoko (Last Man On Earth) with a photo cover featuring Charlton Heston. It's interesting to note that the cover photo is credited to Warner Brothers Pictures from "The Last Man On Earth" and "Humanity SOS."
The cover and title page actually reference "Humanity SOS" in addition to The Last Man On Earth and (Old title Vampire). The book is a revision of the 1958 Hayakawa edition, once again translated by Tanaka Koji (the last line of the novel being, "I am now a legendary monster.").
This edition also contains an original afterword by the translator discussing the history of vampires, referencing both Bram Stoker's Dracula and the penny-dreadful Varney the Vampire, as well as Universal's film starring Bela Lugosi, Hammer's Dracula with Christopher Lee, and Roger Vadim's Blood and Roses (which is described as a bizarre vampire movie, and an enjoyable film with beautiful colors). He goes on to describe the novel as, "compilation of all that vampire knowledge, and by reading it you will be able to master most of the vampire science." He also adds, "...it's not just a culmination, there's a cynical irony, with a comical and terrifying end implied by the title, I Am Legend."
Check back next week for another item from the I Am Legend Archive!
