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The Devil: A Visual Guide to the Demonic, Evil, Scurrilous, and Bad
The Devil is a satanic compendium of angels gone bad, the flipside to our immensely popular Saints (over 35,000 copies sold). Filled with gorgeous art and a silvery, rich design, The Devil presents the stories, speculation, history, and theology of the dark side, including information on the Devil's various names and incarnations; demons; Hell and similar devilish abodes; damnation; heretics, witches, warlocks, and other diabolical creatures; and protection against the Devil. Whether you call him Lucifer, Satan, Leviathan, Beelzebub, or the Prince of Darkness, the Devil gets his due in this wickedly entertaining, informative, and mysteriously alluring volume.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 31, 2013
Having been raised a Catholic and being an avid reader this book didn't offer me much I hadn't already come across at some point of my life. And as the title says, this book is more about the visuals than anythings. Most part of the art in it I had already seen, specially Gustave Doré and Albrecht Dürer's works. Some of the other art sources used are very mainstream and you can find them in other similar compilations. Pictures take large parts of the pages and even entire pages at times, leaving text more as a complement.
The information the authors present here isn't something you haven't heard or read before if you are already acquainted with occult lore. The first part of the book centers exclusively on the devil, that's the part I liked best. Next there is information about demons, which I also liked but didn't find very enlightening and isn't too different from what you can find on your own online in several sites. After this my interest started to decline, even more so 'cause the authors began to throw information on all sorts of dark beings that ain't too directly related to the devil (e.g. fairies, vampires, werewolves). There were mentions of Dante, Faust and the Malleus Maleficarum that a knowledgeable reader wouldn't care much about. And the last part was an uninteresting amalgamation of superstitions.
Funny thing, a lot of the info found in here I had read a long time ago in The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter and The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. Not exactly the edgiest occult book if you can equiparate it to those two, which are meant for kids.
I would recommend this book to unexperienced readers and people with very little knowledge on the occult. Or maybe someone who wants to see some pretty pictures featuring evil creatures.
The information the authors present here isn't something you haven't heard or read before if you are already acquainted with occult lore. The first part of the book centers exclusively on the devil, that's the part I liked best. Next there is information about demons, which I also liked but didn't find very enlightening and isn't too different from what you can find on your own online in several sites. After this my interest started to decline, even more so 'cause the authors began to throw information on all sorts of dark beings that ain't too directly related to the devil (e.g. fairies, vampires, werewolves). There were mentions of Dante, Faust and the Malleus Maleficarum that a knowledgeable reader wouldn't care much about. And the last part was an uninteresting amalgamation of superstitions.
Funny thing, a lot of the info found in here I had read a long time ago in The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter and The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. Not exactly the edgiest occult book if you can equiparate it to those two, which are meant for kids.
I would recommend this book to unexperienced readers and people with very little knowledge on the occult. Or maybe someone who wants to see some pretty pictures featuring evil creatures.
February 27, 2016
A colorful and informative look into the many ideas and the evolution of popular superstitions and myths that evolved into the mythic story of how the Devil and his legions of minions came to be.
dnf
June 27, 2023DNF
This book was so bad that I just ended up reading bits and pieces. The first thing that annoyed me was all the information I have never heard before. There were no notes on where the information came from and I'm not going to search online. The author doesn't go into details a lot and sometimes they mention something then move on without going into any details. Besides all the information that I never heard before there was the information that was wrong and some information that was just plain dumb. The author even includes the usual stereotypes that will never change in our society. All of this and the writing style had me wondering if this book is supposed to be satire and I'm dumb enough to think it was a serious book. Or is this just a really bad book that I just wish it was satire because the author can't be that dumb.
This book was so bad that I just ended up reading bits and pieces. The first thing that annoyed me was all the information I have never heard before. There were no notes on where the information came from and I'm not going to search online. The author doesn't go into details a lot and sometimes they mention something then move on without going into any details. Besides all the information that I never heard before there was the information that was wrong and some information that was just plain dumb. The author even includes the usual stereotypes that will never change in our society. All of this and the writing style had me wondering if this book is supposed to be satire and I'm dumb enough to think it was a serious book. Or is this just a really bad book that I just wish it was satire because the author can't be that dumb.
December 31, 2008
There was a lot of detail and descriptions of various demons. I added some of this content to my upcoming book, Unleashing the Spirits, on demonic spirits. Very insightful info.
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December 17, 2009alot about the devil
January 16, 2012
It was okay. Didn't seem terribly informative and not as funny as the title would suggest either. I must admit I was a disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews