The History of Hell

Rating:
Summary: Enter to the realm of Satan!
Review: 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....

Rating:
Summary: Slick Yet Informative History of the Infernal
Review: Alice Turner's "History of Hell", while a seemingly glossy coffetable book, turns out, in fact, to be a well written introduction to the history and mythology of the Underworld as it appears throughout many cultures and religions over the past 5000 years.

The book begins with the earliest recorded tradtions of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Egyptians and their ideas of the afterlife and the Underworld and how these notions greatly influenced later cultures and religions like Ancient Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christiantiy, and Islam. She relates the traditions of the Greco-Roman Underworld and all the attendant gods and goddesses and how it is with Greek and Roman literature that the Infernal regions begin to grow in prominence. It is however in Chritianity that the notion of an Infernal Underworld of pain, torture, and enternal suffering for sinners and evil-doers comes to the real forefront. Christianity is the only religion that seems to place such heavy emphasis on the existence of a place of eternal damnation, where demons torture the souls of the deceased and the Devil presides over all. Turner examines the literature of St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Milton, and others, as the myths of Hell grow and change over time to become the popular notion we still hold today of Hell as a place of fire, brimstone, and torment, as well as the effect of art in the common perceptions of Hell. It is quite an intersting fact that while we should aspire to the paradise of Heaven, it is the Inferno that continues, after all this time, to fascinate and captivate our imaginations.

Rating:
Summary: Hell of a Read!
Review: And this book sets out to prove it. While very informative about our society's beliefs and attitudes towards Hell, the author doesn't seem capable of stopping there. From taking potshots at Agnostics to rewriting the Christian book of Revelation, she relentlessly attacks every form of organized religion on the planet. She takes postmodern thinking and promotes it as fact. She can't get past the first two pages without presenting what she believes is the average Christian: an impossibly confused lacky of Christian dogma who can't possibly understand what their religion dictates.

While her venom towards her nemesis is understandable, (being involved in the porn business tends to put one at odds with the Christian Right)it is unbecoming, and diminishes what could have been a truly exceptional book.

Rating:
Summary: Very well written
Review: For someone who is looking to learn about a strange phenomenon that has interested many people including myself, then this is the book. The author gives a very complete factual account of how the different cultures have embraced the idea of the after life. My favorite aspect of the book is how the author brings together the fact that the religious establishments have used the notion of hell as a very influential tool throughout history. Overall, the book is great and I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Writing style left something to be desired
Review: Let me start by saying that the book is very informative. She's obviously done her research and the details prove it. Unfortunatly, it seems as though her job at PLAYBOY didn't instantly qualify her to write a nonfiction book about hell. The book is rambling at best. It's like when you talk to a civil war historian or something and they cannot keep their thoughts on course. "And then Jackson moved to outflank the union lines.... funny thing about Jackson..." She does this often. Now you may say to yourself: "self, 2 stars seems a little low for just that one flaw"; to which i would respond that it is really, REALLY annoying to read.

If incoherent writing and frequent tangents dont bother you, bump that rating on up to 5 stars.


Rating:
Summary: if I were looking back in time
Review: The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner is an exquisite book detailing the numerous accounts of the "evil side" of the afterlife from the ancient Sumatrans belief in the underworld to the freudian account of hell is in man's mind. If for nothing else, the pictures and exquisite illustrations that accompany the pages of this book more then make up for its price. I felt as if I were looking back in time, and the comprehensive yet concise accounts of aferworldly visions and their evolutions through time was wonderful. A must read for any budding anthropologist, sociologist, or psychologist - especially for its evolutionary overview of the pain and punishment aspects of the human mind.

Rating:
Summary: if I were looking back in time
Review: The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner is an exquisite book detailing the numerous accounts of the "evil side" of the afterlife from the ancient Sumatrans belief in the underworld to the freudian account of hell is in man's mind. If for nothing else, the pictures and exquisite illustrations that accompany the pages of this book more then make up for its price. I felt as if I were looking back in time, and the comprehensive yet concise accounts of aferworldly visions and their evolutions through time was wonderful. A must read for any budding anthropologist, sociologist, or psychologist - especially for its evolutionary overview of the pain and punishment aspects of the human mind.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic study for seriously religious or philosophical!!
Review: This book is not for everyone. The issues expressed by this
author's study raises on eyebrow for some, neck hairs
for others. I find this guide is great to really sift through
Bible or whatever Hell-believing documents are about, and to see what it is we were raised to fear, and to see what it is that attracts us to horror books and flicks; and in short--to see beyond the pretensions! Religions are not the workings of God and the Goddess. For the most part, religious organizations move to the goals of men. We hope these men are of high ethics and moral. But hope isn't enough. People forget that none can stand between a soul and the creator. Hence there is a Hell.

Rating:
Summary: The history of Hell
Review: This book is not for those who are not secure in their religion or have a hard time dealing with facts. This book is incredible and even made me question myself and whether my faith was what I thought it was. I had to question whether I was still a Christian at the end od this book. However I still enjoyed reading this book, it made me a spiritually stronger Christian, I don't believe this was the purpose of this book that is just how I feel. In closing i would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the ideas of other religions and cultures or where there own ideas come from.

Rating:
Summary: Hell of a Read!
Review: 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.