As I mentioned in my The Devil in Legend and Literature post, I have a thing for devil/Lucifer books. It is the cringe part of my personality that you guys are going to have to deal with if we’re gonna be friends. It is beyond my reasoning. This is who I am now.
There is just SOMETHING about the character and representations of the character that are just so relatable and awe-inspiring for me, as it is for many others, I’m sure. A character highlighted for rebellion and challenging the established order is something, but the depth of the turmoil and pain that comes with such an archetype is just intoxicating for me.
Maybe it’s my own experiences with pain and suffering, and my questionable relationship with those things, that makes these pieces of content so appetizing. I’ll likely never get rid of this guilty pleasure, sorry not sorry.
I was crawling around on Amazon the other day, looking for a companion book to The Devil in Legend and Literature, when it was recommended that I pre-order this book: The Fantastic Gustave Doré. I purchased it as a coffee table book that I would never even put near anything that finds a spot on my coffee table–liquid, food, or otherwise.
I wanted to share some images of the book, because I thought it was an awesome find.
This book doesn’t necessarily fall into my “Lucifer/Devil” category exclusively, but we all know I bought that shit for Paradise Lost and Divine Comedy.
This book smells amazing. The monotone color scheme within the book just gives it this aged feeling. Of course, these works are in black and white so it makes logical sense the book would follow that from a design perspective, but it is so well executed.
Beneath the cut is a few more images. I was promised some images that are more obscure from Doré, and wasn’t disappointed when looking through the Don Quixote sections. Of course, those beneath the cut are Paradise Lost, but wanted to share anyway.
Collapsed for ease of use
Even opening it up to the seam is an experience. Look at that marbling. 
"To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell: better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."
It is a typical art book, and I am guilty of owning quite a few of them (intentionally and unintentionally). The designed is only rivaled by that present in my Library of Esoterica books, and another really great one is Pandemonium: A Visual History.
Sea beasts. Leviathans. Serpents. You still terrify me in my dreams, but you look gorgeous on paper. 
Probably some of my favorites. To the left, you see the scene where Satan ponders while looking over the Hellmouth. I saw this once in a piece where they spoke about the troubles Satan ponders before settling on tempting Eve, where he weighs his desires for redemption and revenge while indulging in his own sorrow. Powerful stuff.
While looking up some backstory on the image, I found this link to an art page that I thought was nifty: The Bad Place.
Below are some outside pictures, the black is just supurb. The aesthetic of this book really captures the theme of the content, and sure most design should but so many fall flat.
The images don’t do it justice. It is an experience.
