The private journal of author Bram Stoker, in which he sketched his first thoughts about his legendary creation "Dracula", has been unearthed after more than 100 years.

The thin, unmarked book was discovered on a shelf in his great-grandson's home on the Isle of Wight in Britain. It had been passed down by Noel Dobbs' ancestors for more than a century before arriving in his home, the Daily Mail reported.