Edgar Allan Poe & Washington Irving 
Devil Stories by Various 

What is our darkest fear? Death? Or the thought of spending eternity in Hell for spreading evil in our three score and ten years on Earth. Whether we think of Hell or Hades as our final destination the idea of meeting any incarnation of the Devil – Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Iblis, and his other various given names the literary references and evidence we have suggests a conversation or anything at all with him would be a very big mistake. It is often said that the Devil, for such a feared entity, actually has very little power. Most ascribe to him (yes, I can’t think of any references to the Devil described as a woman) only the power to suggest evil in the hearts of humans. From such thoughts a whole industry of evil has sprung and leapt into our culture. Whilst we might expect among our wordsmiths for Edgar Allan Poe to create a world of horror do we expect the same from Thackeray of Gorky. Probably not but they deliver. So, its time to summon up the courage and immerse ourselves in a good book as the night draws in……