Customer Reviews

The Devil: A Biography

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was really impressed, especially after reading the review of the other amazon customer...

This book is no novel, but it is a fairly comprehensive history of how people see the devil, whether some kind of gargoyle looking monster or the con man or even a metaphor for the evils of mankind.

Stanford does a good job of showing one thing above all others - that people will see the devil they want, and the devil won't dispute them.

For a biography, the book actually talks about the devil less than the circumstances where he was a power, and how people react(ed) to him. Less a biography than a reoccuring theme, it is still worth reading if you like history books.

This is a remarkable survey, one that is succinct, good-humored, and detailed. It recounts the entire life story of the Lord of Pain, from pre-Christian beginnings through today, with many a telling and relevant glance at other cultures and thought systems. What matters in the end is less belief in the Devil than his enduring appeal; as Stanford says, we may not believe in vampires, but we love movies and books about them. After reading this book, you'll understand a lot more about the devil, especially when you realize how deeply human he is.

This was pretty good, for the most part. The only thing that makes this book slightly dull is that it is a touch repetitive in it's information. But what makes it interesting is that it draws a parallel between God and the Devil. Very interesting, save for that minor glitch.

This book was a real disappointment. Though I wasn't looking for a sensationalist approach to the topic, itwas dry, dry, dry. The fact that so many of the reviews I'd seen referred to it as "readable" should have been a red flag. Readable compared to what? An accounting textbook, perhaps, but nothing that one reads mostly for enjoyment. The author is obviously a good scholar, but not engaging, at least in this book.

He is no expert on the Devil, i was very disapointed in the book, i could of found infor and put a book together.