The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology [Paperback]

Rosemary Ellen Guiley (Author), John Zaffis (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With more than 400 entries and 80 black-and-white photos, this resource explores what many believe are the sources of evil—demons or devils. Demons, as defined here, are “lower agents of evil,” having many guises and operating under many names with many purposes. The book does a fine job of walking the reader through all the mythology; if readers are looking for a strictly Christian interpretation of demonology, it’s not here. Key topics include the types of demons and history of demonology, possession and historical cases, today’s demonologists and exorcists, forms and means of confronting demons, and demons in popular culture, different cultures, and many religious traditions. Entries are organized A–Z, and most conclude with a short title list of further reading. Additionally, a concise, unannotated bibliography is included at the end of the work. Guiley is a leading authority and author on numerous paranormal topics and has appeared on TV and radio shows. She feels everyone needs to be informed about demons, and with this title, she wants to “open further avenues of inquiry on the subject of the dark side.” The work is a thorough reference on an arcane subject and is valuable for its many historical accounts of demons or devils and their arts. Guiley is sometimes criticized for her lack of skepticism, but she has produced a helpful resource for readers who need an overview. It will be used in public and academic libraries by patrons who are interested in demonology. --Susan Awe --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books; 1 edition (August 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816073155
• ISBN-13: 978-0816073153
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Religion
  • #87 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Witchcraft
  • #88 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Wicca

More About the Author

I work fulltime investigating and writing about all things paranormal, which means I lead a most unusual and highly adventurous life. I have written more than 45 books, including single-volume encyclopedias, on a variety of topics, A-Z, angels to zombies and everything in between. I'm interested in the entire spectrum of the paranormal, for everything fits together. I go off in the field to investigate reports of ghosts, UFOs, aliens, ultraterrestrials, Shadow People, Bigfoot, mysterious creatures, Djinn, demons, angels, fairies and more. I am frequently out on the road, and I've had plenty of first-hand experiences of many of the things I document in my books. My work is part of my spiritual journey; probing into the Unknown, the Other Side, and other dimensions is my search for Truth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, February 13, 2010

By 

J. Morse III - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology (Paperback)

I had some trepidations about buying this book, primarily because so many "Encyclopedia" works tend to be extremely limited in scope. Not so with this volume. While no book of this nature can be truly comprehensive, this book offers an extremely broad range of subjects, with decent detail and interesting illustrations throughout. More important, however, is the completeness of the author's annotations; by following the annotations at the end of each entry, I have had an excellent starting point with which to continue my research on any subject that I found intriguing enough to follow up on.

I bought this work as an artist, looking for symbolism and information that I could incorporate into my work (which is largely religious in nature). I also study the paranormal, and much of the content of this book has been illuminating to those studies, as well. If you are looking for a quick, down-and-dirty reference to a broad range of demonic subjects, this book is a solid purchase.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good though not what i was looking for., August 31, 2011

By 

Michael Phillips - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology (Paperback)

I'm not sure who i bought this from but i got it quickly and it was in great shape, so kudos to them for that. The book itself is a pretty good buy but not for someone just starting out on the topic of demonology as I am. I'd gather that it is better for someone who has studied demonology for a while, and when they get stuck trying to remember how many Aerial Spirits of Solomon there were, or whether Beelzebub looked like a fly or a spider, then this book is a good place to jog the memory. But for someone starting out, you won't get a clear coherent story. You'll start reading at A, encounter your first of Solomon's many demons, and then you'll flip to the section on Solomon. You'll be intrigued and find the whole thing interesting but you'll want more than is available.

From what I've been reading, a lot of the information on a lot of the demons is limited even in the original texts in which they appeared. But still, it's an encyclopedia, so perhaps much of the information was just omitted. If you're looking for a good historical analysis of the origin of a demon, or how a "demon" evolved after its first appearance in the Old Testament, then you should look elsewhere.

The book does have good "further reading" notes at the end of each section. The suggested books are likely the ones you'd want to read first. I'm eager to learn more about the history of the origins of these demons, how their stories evolved and their legends came to be throughout history. If that's what you're looking for, do a little more research and skip this one. But if you're just looking for a demonic freak show of sorts, or you're trying to come up with some baby names that'll piss off your religious parents, this is book is for you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have, April 1, 2011

By 

M Blankenship "Ian B" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology (Paperback)

This book is absolutely deserving of a shelf spot in your paranormal or magical library. It is a very detailed enyclopedia about the origin, names, famous people involved, where they come from, and further suggested reading collection. There are great pictures and the writing is fun not bland and boring. I own all of her encylopedias and this is one of my favorites. Plus I love the forward by John Zaffis the nephew of Ed Warren!