Late medieval man lived between hope and fear. Heaven was his reward if he was devout, but Hell and all its terrors awaited him if he succumbed to the devil's temptations. Hieronymus Bosch's contemporaries were deeply affected by the painter's visions of paradise and the bowels of hell. Bosch showed them that the devil could waylay them in many guises, and that the road to Hell was often shorter than the way to Heaven. In this book the author provides a fascinating insight into Bosch's life and ideas.