The Complete Book of Devils and Demons [Paperback]

Leonard R.N. Ashley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Here is the story of how evil has been conceived embraced, and combatted over time, including the rise and fall of black magicians, astrology, spiritualism and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Leonard R. N. Ashley (PhD, Princeton; LHD, Columbia Theological) is a professor Emeritus of Brooklyn College of The City University of New York and has published more than twenty books on literary history, linguistics (onomastics and geolinguistics), military history, folklore, popular culture, and the occult. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Barricade Books (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569800774
• ISBN-13: 978-1569800775
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars An Utter Mess, November 12, 2000

By 

Fredrik King (Roseville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book of Devils and Demons (Paperback)

From its misleading title--this volume is rather slender given its claim for being "complete"--to its lack of bibliographic notes and historical and factual unreliability, Ashley's tome is an utter mess. Poorly written and organized, with only a three-page index, this is a book that cannot be taken seriously. "Devils and Demons," in fact, seems like a haphazard collection of the author's notes on interesting trivia he happened to bounce on, without bothering to reexamine his sources or concern himself with the formalities of English grammar. For example, in his brief discussion of C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters," Ashley describes Lewis's book as "a delightful collection of business communications between a minor devil called Screwtape and his boss," evidently forgetting that Screwtape was a "major" devil corresponding to his underling nephew, Wormwood, as anyone even slightly familiar with the literature of fictional demonology knows. Such sloppy errors that are sprinkled through Ashley's work brings the subject down to the level of tabloid journalism, and with the same level of reliability. The reader would best be served by searching for other, more scholarly books which are abundant in this peculiar area of study, such as the "Compendium Maleficarum" or Robbins' "Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology." But "The Complete Book of Devils and Demons" is a complete waste of dead trees.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ignorant, frivolous treatment of a fascinating subject, August 4, 2000

By 

neil mcauley (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Devils and Demons (Paperback)

What a shame Leonard Ashley (who has no doubt spent some time looking into his subject) is unable to string an intelligent sentence together. This ridiculously pedestrian book demeans the fascinating subject of demonology through a nauseous trail of sloppy ideas, puerile humour and incongruous, misplaced anecdotes. A work of zero interest to even the most unsophisticated of students.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent book, but not so complete, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Book of Devils and Demons (Paperback)

After picking up several books on related subjects, unfortunately this book ended up closer to the bottom of my reading pile. This book is loosely organized into many, many small chapters that seem to jump around quite a bit. Histories and anecdotes concerning demons are touched upon, but there seems to be an apologist's slant to everything. As if he is constantly reminding the reader that evil is bad instead of just giving us the history. Almost as though he is backing away from Hell, just in case it's all real and he's indicted by God for writing a book on the subject. I prefer a more objective approach to this sort of topic but all in all not terrible. (It's suprising to me how few good books are out there on demonology)