The History of Hell

This is a wonderful book for anyone that is interested in the many versions of Hell. This book is also extremely interesting for anyone interested in the darker side of classical literature; which is where the author pulls most of the examples from. The book is set up chronologically. The author cites many possible origins of hell as well as elucidating some delightful etymological roots of the word Hell. The book progresses throughout western history epoch by epoch, sometimes dedicating entire sections to authors like Dante and Goethe. The writing style, as addressed by former reviewers, is distracting only if you are looking for an academic tone, which it doesn't have. The writing style is more chummy, warm. I think it is more than appropriate considering the heavy subject matter that the author took on. The book overall is an enlightening piece of work that doubles as a wonderful reference for any history or literature students that may interested.

This is a great book. It starts out by having chapters on pre-Christ underworlds, including Eqyption and Greek. Then it moves from the beginging of Christian Hell, to our present day view of Hell, stopping to look at Dante's Hell, "Paridise Lost", and much more. The pictures are excellent, and the book is stocked full of them. I was hoping for more information on pagan underworlds, but the book is entitled "The History of Hell" meaning basiclly the history of Christian Hell. A wonderful book.

A beautifully illustrated work of witty, perceptive and wide-ranging scholarship, Turner presents a multi-faceted Hell that one can't help but be drawn to. The chapters are fairly short and readable--this is no heavy, dry academic tome, although you'd have to be a complete bore to make this subject anything less than fascinating--at least for me. There's not much of hell at all in the Bible; most of our perceptions of hell were indeed formed by Milton and Dante and other works outside the Christian biblical canon. Turner concentrates on how images of the infernal place have changed over centuries, and how our philosophies of what is human, what is good, etc. change and adapt. She's a sharp, insightful writer, although I suspect her sometimes irreverent, agnostic tone may turn off some readers. I could be wrong though! I recommend this along with Jeffrey Burton Russell's "Prince of Darkness" (perhaps the single best book on the Devil himself, from 1988); Paul Carus' "The Devil"; and Lauren Paine's "The Hierarchy of Hell." Together these books are a long gaze into the abyss....

I've just finished reading this book, and it turned out better than I thought, when I checked it out from the library. I was really looking for a history of heaven, but this one looked a lot more interesting, and it surly was. In this book you get the origin of hell, and its precence in books thru the ages. Read it!

All kidding aside, Turner's book really is a fine exploration of the ways in which hell--or, more properly, the underworld--has been viewed by various civilizations throughout history. Her account is scholarly enough to satisfy academics, but remains sufficiently fluid and compelling for the lay reader's tastes. Highly recommended for anyone interested in death rituals, the afterlife, or the formation of Christian doctrine.