John Relly Beard (1800-1876) was an English Unitarian minister who wrote more than thirty books in his lifetime, including "The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture" in 1853 and several reference volumes on a variety of topics.

His masterpiece "The Autobiography of Satan" was published in 1872 and the goal of the book is clearly described during the Preface: 'As this book is intended not so much for scholars as the general public, I have not attempted more than a series of readable sketches. The same consideration has led me to adopt the autobiographical form, which, with the supposition of an intelligent companion, gives me some of the advantages of a conversational style. Only in the large portion of the work devoted to the Scriptures have I, without departing from a popular manner, aimed at a certain degree of completeness. To handle adequately all the grave topics of this comprehensive theme would require a library instead of a volume.'