I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson. Soft Cover from 1957. Stanley Meltzoff Painted Cover. (illustrator). First Edition By This Publisher. 160 pages “This is an important novel and a key in the blending of classic horror, the vampire , with classic science fiction ,the last man on earth.The persistent virus “vampirus bacillus” is discovered to have been responsible for the recurring plagues of the Middle Ages.”; Basis for the “Omega Man” Movie & also the I AM LEGEND film starring Will Smith