Talk of the Devil has become distinctly unfashionable. Our sceptical age has pensioned off Satan, for centuries the face and name put to the abstract reality of evil. However, the creation of Popes, archbishops and priests will not so easily accept his fate, and Satan continues to serve as a metaphor for evil throughout society. His scaly black skin, horns, cloven hoof and red eyes have become embedded in popular psyche. In The Devil: A Biography, Peter Stanford traces the development of the character and role of Satan through the ages and examines how we tackle evil today.

Peter Stanford is a journalist and broadcaster who writes and reviews regularly in the Guardian, the Sunday Times and the New Statesman. A former editor of the Catholic Herald, he presented the award-winning Channel 4 series Catholics and Sex and co-wrote the accompanying book. His other books include biographies of Lord Longford and Cardinal Basil Hume.

Brilliant, original and controversial study of the Devil throughout history, right up to the present day.