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The Devil and All His Works
The Devil and all his works Wheatley, Dennis
302 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 1971
About the author
Dennis Wheatley
368 books253 followersDennis Yates Wheatley was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors in the 1950s and 1960s.
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 26, 2012
If Time Life ever put out a book on the Devil; this would be it. There are all kinds of colorful and grotesque pictures on glossy pages and spooky stories that can be read in single-sittings.
When I was younger, I read many of Wheatley's books. I came across "The Devil Rides Out" when I was 13 or 14; although his style and sensibilities are antiquated, they are still entertaining. One can feel the righteous, but quietly British indignation this man feels when speaking about those "damn bestial" voodoo practitioners; and the deadly seriousness in which he advocates the legal punishment of Satanists and those other people treading the Left Hand Path.
It's an entertaining read; but don't take it too seriously. Any aspiring "occult-nik" should likely look up the dictionary definition of "occult" before setting out to read a book like this.
When I was younger, I read many of Wheatley's books. I came across "The Devil Rides Out" when I was 13 or 14; although his style and sensibilities are antiquated, they are still entertaining. One can feel the righteous, but quietly British indignation this man feels when speaking about those "damn bestial" voodoo practitioners; and the deadly seriousness in which he advocates the legal punishment of Satanists and those other people treading the Left Hand Path.
It's an entertaining read; but don't take it too seriously. Any aspiring "occult-nik" should likely look up the dictionary definition of "occult" before setting out to read a book like this.
December 25, 2023
I was a little too young to buy the early 70s partwork encyclopaedia ‘Man Myth and Magic’ when it was first issued (I bought a set in the 80s) but am very much reminded of that when reading this book as it covers very much the same ground.
Wheatley gives an overview of the ‘supernatural’ beginning with psychic experiences such as clairvoyance, ghosts, esp and the like before moving on to various religions and their similarities, alchemy, witches and witch trials before arriving at a history of the Devil.
As one might imagine for a book covering so much ground it is, of necessity, brisk in its treatment but as a general overview it is not too bad and the short chapters/sections are enlivened with lots of illustrations (many of which are now famous and have all seen via the internet) sometimes rather oddly captioned but indexed/sourced at the back.
The volume has now been largely superseded by google but does still have some vestiges of interest when Wheatley interjects his own views and anecdotes. Perhaps surprisingly, he is a cautious believer in most of what he writes even going as far as to suggest that whilst not subscribing to all his ideas, for example he cites Erich Do-Lallykan's (sorry von Däniken's) book ‘Chariots of the Gods’ as "an epoch-making book that should be read by everyone interested in the history of mankind”. He also has a liking for the now-discredited, theories of Margaret Murray and there are several other instances where his knowledge seems a little sketchy but then this book is nearly fifty years old. His anecdotes of meeting Montague Summers, Montague Summers, and Rollo Ahmed are entertaining, the tale of Summers getting upset when Wheatley wouldn’t buy a book he offered him is a laugh-out-loud classic.
Also outdated and redundant are his views on race and ‘civilization’. It is relatively clear who he regards as the ‘more’ or ‘less civilized’ races and he even finds a few moments to add a little anti-communist rhetoric. All this converges in his chapter ‘Conclusions and the ‘Way’ where he suggests that we may well be entering a new ‘age of darkness’ as totalitarian regimes ‘turn individuals into robots’ and ‘the governments of the progressive countries have abandoned the task of ruling the more backward countries’ which lead to breeding grounds of dope-addicts, anarchists and lawlessness. Oh dear! To fight this he suggests more psychic investigation (properly regulated of course) and, as a firm believer in reincarnation, progress up the ladder of wisdom and progress. Okay...
If you can add a good pinch of salt here and there there is still some entertainment in this book and it sold in such vast numbers that it is still relatively cheap. Worth a peer if you can locate a copy at a good price.
Wheatley gives an overview of the ‘supernatural’ beginning with psychic experiences such as clairvoyance, ghosts, esp and the like before moving on to various religions and their similarities, alchemy, witches and witch trials before arriving at a history of the Devil.
As one might imagine for a book covering so much ground it is, of necessity, brisk in its treatment but as a general overview it is not too bad and the short chapters/sections are enlivened with lots of illustrations (many of which are now famous and have all seen via the internet) sometimes rather oddly captioned but indexed/sourced at the back.
The volume has now been largely superseded by google but does still have some vestiges of interest when Wheatley interjects his own views and anecdotes. Perhaps surprisingly, he is a cautious believer in most of what he writes even going as far as to suggest that whilst not subscribing to all his ideas, for example he cites Erich Do-Lallykan's (sorry von Däniken's) book ‘Chariots of the Gods’ as "an epoch-making book that should be read by everyone interested in the history of mankind”. He also has a liking for the now-discredited, theories of Margaret Murray and there are several other instances where his knowledge seems a little sketchy but then this book is nearly fifty years old. His anecdotes of meeting Montague Summers, Montague Summers, and Rollo Ahmed are entertaining, the tale of Summers getting upset when Wheatley wouldn’t buy a book he offered him is a laugh-out-loud classic.
Also outdated and redundant are his views on race and ‘civilization’. It is relatively clear who he regards as the ‘more’ or ‘less civilized’ races and he even finds a few moments to add a little anti-communist rhetoric. All this converges in his chapter ‘Conclusions and the ‘Way’ where he suggests that we may well be entering a new ‘age of darkness’ as totalitarian regimes ‘turn individuals into robots’ and ‘the governments of the progressive countries have abandoned the task of ruling the more backward countries’ which lead to breeding grounds of dope-addicts, anarchists and lawlessness. Oh dear! To fight this he suggests more psychic investigation (properly regulated of course) and, as a firm believer in reincarnation, progress up the ladder of wisdom and progress. Okay...
If you can add a good pinch of salt here and there there is still some entertainment in this book and it sold in such vast numbers that it is still relatively cheap. Worth a peer if you can locate a copy at a good price.
September 11, 2021
A well presented book that brings to question whether there are "invisible" influences that can or do affect ones life. Dennis Wheatley has written some intense fiction dealing with Satanism and the occult and from the details in his stories he has spent a lot of time researching this subject. This book may be a doorway into the the knowledge he has gleaned from his studies.
December 25, 2019
Quite long and perhaps less focused on the actual devil than the title would imply, this is a good book to read for anyone who'd like to expand their general knowledge on the history of the occult and suchlike.
December 22, 2023
There are better non-fiction books about the devil out there: seek out Jeffrey Burton Russell's academic quartet or its pop summary The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History for a thorough overview of depictions of the devil through history. Paul Carus' older The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil is also a solid choice.
Unfortunately, Wheatley's history, while lavishly illustrated and a gorgeous coffee table conversation starter, is seriously unacademic and reads more like the ramblings of a racist conspiracy theorist. Wheatley cherry picks information from a wide range of sources and slams it together to assemble his own personal mythology. It's a tiresome read, and there are better things to do with your time.
Unfortunately, Wheatley's history, while lavishly illustrated and a gorgeous coffee table conversation starter, is seriously unacademic and reads more like the ramblings of a racist conspiracy theorist. Wheatley cherry picks information from a wide range of sources and slams it together to assemble his own personal mythology. It's a tiresome read, and there are better things to do with your time.
October 5, 2021
A vaguely entertaining read, but I'll admit I wasn't expecting a work written by a true believer - it seems there was never a myth, legend, fairytale or apocryphal story that Wheatley didn't wholly accept at face value.
And it's doubtful exactly how much actual "research" went into the writing of the book; I'd be surprised if it turned out even a tenth of the historical information related is accurate.
But the most egregious fault is that Wheatly was clearly a horrible racist. Any mention of non-white, non-European cultures is described with terms such as "backward", "filthy", "vile", "debased" and he outright states his belief that "the dissolution of the great empires is grim with human misery". So he's not my favourite person ever.
And it's doubtful exactly how much actual "research" went into the writing of the book; I'd be surprised if it turned out even a tenth of the historical information related is accurate.
But the most egregious fault is that Wheatly was clearly a horrible racist. Any mention of non-white, non-European cultures is described with terms such as "backward", "filthy", "vile", "debased" and he outright states his belief that "the dissolution of the great empires is grim with human misery". So he's not my favourite person ever.
April 20, 2023
The first few chapters are basically pointless to the rest of the book, the opening of part 3 even says that they had “Ostensibly nothing” to do with the subject of the Devil. And that’s on page 83.
And even then I would say the book people may actually want to read only truly starts on page 189 after the author stops talking about all manner of religious sects (but not about how they view the Devil) instead of explaining the history of Black Magic for example.
I think it’s clear I did not enjoy this book. It spoke so little about topics that could have easily taken while books about those topics themselves. And at least two whole sections that didn’t really feel necessary for this book.
I’m sure there’s fans of this book out there but I’m not one of them.
And even then I would say the book people may actually want to read only truly starts on page 189 after the author stops talking about all manner of religious sects (but not about how they view the Devil) instead of explaining the history of Black Magic for example.
I think it’s clear I did not enjoy this book. It spoke so little about topics that could have easily taken while books about those topics themselves. And at least two whole sections that didn’t really feel necessary for this book.
I’m sure there’s fans of this book out there but I’m not one of them.
January 20, 2023
It was fun to read but at the same time often inaccurate and even bigoted. Then again, it's a 70s book on the occult written by someone who specializes in fiction. I never thought it was going to be of much academic value. It's worth a read a long as you take everything with a massive grain of salt.
September 11, 2022
Coffee-table book combining cool illustrations and photos with Wheatley's sloppily-researched, reactionary, and sometimes outright nonsensical writing. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
January 29, 2016
School challenge. No resolution reported, 1993.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews