About Demonology and Devil-lore “Without conceding too much to Solar mythology, it may be pronounced tolerably clear that the earliest emotion of worship was born out of the wonder with which man looked up to the heavens above him.” Demonology and Devil-lore is a study by American abolitionist minister and radical writer Moncure D. Conway, published in 1879. Departing the US for England in 1863, he was known as an unorthodox preacher in London, and was acquainted with many celebrated literary and scientific figures, including Charles Darwin and Dickens. In this fascinating and in-depth work, Conway utilises examples from around the globe to discuss the genesis and decline of beliefs in demons. Classifying types of demon, he contends that these are in fact personifications of the main obstacles faced by 'primitive man', providing examples of animal demons and demons of hunger, fire and disease.