Academic Books on the Devil (18 books)

Exaclty as it sounds- scholarly works on Satan, Hell and demonology

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1	The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics by Elaine Pagels 3.91 avg rating — 7,332 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Krampus: The Devil of Christmas: Pre-WWI Krampus Postcard Reproductiions by Monte Beauchamp 4.25 avg rating — 146 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil by Al Ridenour 4.05 avg rating — 341 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Devil: A New Biography by Philip C. Almond 3.46 avg rating — 175 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil by Paul Carus 3.67 avg rating — 373 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology by Ed Simon (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 132 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The History of the Devil: The Horned God of the West: Magic and Worship by R. Lowe Thompson 3.75 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages by Jeffrey Burton Russell 4.03 avg rating — 233 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife by Bart D. Ehrman 4.06 avg rating — 3,912 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Comics Go To Hell by Fredrik Stromberg 3.52 avg rating — 27 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Devils of Loudun by Des Niau 3.16 avg rating — 25 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Penguin Book of Hell by Scott G. Bruce 3.64 avg rating — 624 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Satan Is Alive and Well on Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey 3.31 avg rating — 334 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Devil's Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain by Ed Simon (Goodreads Author) 3.53 avg rating — 150 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Hell: A Guide (Answers to All Your Questions about the Devil by Anthony DeStefano (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 121 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Who in Hell...: A Guide to the Whole Damned Bunch by Sean Kelly 3.96 avg rating — 49 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell by Brian May 4.70 avg rating — 123 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion by Joseph Laycock (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 1,017 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

18 books · 4 voters · list created June 8th, 2021 by Orem (votes) .

Tags: christianity, non-fiction, nonfiction, religious-studies

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message 1: by Kade (new)

Jan 17, 2022 12:50PM

I am making a podcast on Hell and beliefs of the Afterlife so this is super great! Thanks!

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message 2: by Ozzlem "Ozzy" (last edited Jun 19, 2025 08:00AM) (new)

Jun 19, 2025 07:35AM

Hey Orem - love this list, and I added about a dozen more that I felt were great additions.

FYI, there's a handful on here that stick out a bit like a sore thumb, and might not be what you were aiming for with the academic theme:

Satan Is Alive and Well on Planet Earth is more of an evangelical warning piece than a scholarly work. It’s coming from a very specific religious angle and doesn’t really offer much in terms of historical or academic insight.

Comics Go To Hell is just comic book depictions of the Devil, not actual theological or historical analysis.

Who in Hell...: A Guide to the Whole Damned Bunch is like a tongue-in-cheek novelty guide. It’s quirky, but there’s no academic value in it.

Krampus: The Devil of Christmas: Pre-WWI Krampus Postcard Reproductiions is literally a postcard reprint book. Not academic, just a novelty item

The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil is a cultural niche study on Alpine tradition and holiday mythology. It doesn’t engage with Satan, Hell, or demonology in any meaningful academic sense.

Hell: A Guide (Answers to All Your Questions about the Devil is a Catholic devotional. It’s not academic and leans heavily into religious doctrine.

Just figured I’d flag these in case you’re looking to keep the list more focused. Appreciate the effort you put into curating it!

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