Works by
C. S. Lewis
(Aka Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis, Clive Hamilton, and N. W. Clerk)
(Writer)
[November 29, 1898 -- November 22, 1963)

Writing as C. S. Lewis

As Editor

• Essays Presented to Charles Williams (1947)
  In this book Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back to Christianity.
   

• George Macdonald: An Anthology -- 365 Readings (1947)
  George MacDonald (1824-1905) was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Briefly a clergyman, then a professor of English literature at Bedford and Kings College in London, he was a popular lecturer and published poetry, stories, novels, and fairy tales. In this collection selected by C. S. Lewis, we are offered 365 selections from MacDonald's inspiring and useful writings.
  
  C. S. Lewis wrote the following about George Macdonald, I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself! Lewis offers 365 selections from MacDonald's work, ranging from Inexorable Love to The Torment of Death. These wise words will instruct, uplift, and provide indispensable help toward the very acceptance of Christian faith.

Biography/Memoirs

• Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (1955)

Essays

• Rehabilitation and Other Essays (1939)

• Christian Reflections (1967; essays and papers)

• Selected Literary Essays (1969)

• God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics
  (1970)
  See also Undeceptions (1971)

• Undeceptions (1971)

• Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories (1982), Walter Hooper, ed.
  Reflections on literature and science fiction; three stories; and the beginning chapters of a novel.

• Present Concerns (1986)
  Nineteen essays-on democratic values, threats to educational and spiritual fulfillment, literary censorship, and other topics all displaying Lewis’s characteristic sanity and persuasiveness.

• Essay Collection: Literature, Philosophy and Short Stoires (2000)

Fiction

• The Pilgrim's Regress (1933)

• The Screwtape Letters  (1942)
  Screwtape is an experienced devil. His nephew Wormwood is just beginning his demonic career and has been assigned to secure the damnation of a young man who has just become a Christian. In this humorous exchange, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good v. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better knowledge of what it means to live a good, honest life.  See also 1961 Screwtape Proposes a Toast.

• The Great Divorce (1945)
  C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil.

• Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold (1956)
  This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.

• Screwtape Proposes a Toast (1961)
  See also 1942 The Screwtape Letters.

• Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer (1964)
  In the form of warm, relaxed letters to a close friend, Lewis meditates on many puzzling questions concerning the intimate dialogue between man and God. Lewis also considers practical and metaphysical aspects of private prayer, petitionary prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, and other forms of prayer.

• The Dark Tower (1977)

• Boxen: The Imaginary World of the Young C. S. Lewis (1985) Walter Hooper, ed.
  A collection of maps, histories, sketches, and stories created by C.S. Lewis as a child to describe his private fantasy world, known as Animal-Land or Boxen. A scholarly introduction explains the stories in the context of Lewis's life.

1. Out of the Silent Planet (1938)
   The first book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by a megalomaniacal physicist and his accomplice and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. The two men are in need of a human sacrifice, and Dr. Ransom would seem to fit the bill. Once on the planet, however, Ransom eludes his captors, risking his life and his chances of returning to Earth, becoming a stranger in a land that is enchanting in its difference from Earth and instructive in its similarity. First published in 1943, Out of the Silent Planet remains a mysterious and suspenseful tour de force.

2. Perelandra (1943)
   The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, Perelandra continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet -- Perelandra -- when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to this malevolent being, who strives to create a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom's mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet.  Aka Voyage to Venus)

3. That Hideous Strength (1946)
   The final book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. The dark forces that were repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for that force which can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization is gaining power throughout Europe with a plan to "recondition" society, and it is up to Ransom and his friends to squelch this threat by applying age-old wisdom to a new universe dominated by science. The two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close.

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

2. Prince Caspian (1951)
   Narnia has been at peace since Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund helped rid the kingdom of the evil White Witch. But the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve have returned to their own world and a dark presence now rules this once harmonious land...

3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

4. The Silver Chair (1953)

5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
   When Shasta discovers he is not Arsheesh's son and therefore does not belong in the cruel land of Calormen, he joins forces with Bree the talking horse and flees north towards Narnia, where freedom reigns.
   
   And so begins their hazardous journey, fraught with mystery and danger. Calormen's capital city of Tashbaan must be crossed, a harsh desert endured, the high mountains of Archenland climbed, their enemies overcome. For the young Shasta it is an adventure beyond his wildest dreams and one destined to change his life forever.

6. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
   When Digory and Polly are tricked by Digory's peculiar Uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. What happens to the children when they touch Uncle Andrew's magic rings is far beyond anything even the old magician could have imagined.
   
   Hurtled into the Wood between the Worlds, the children soon find that they can enter many worlds through the mysterious pools there. In one world they encounter the evil Queen Jadis, who wreaks havoc in the streets of London when she is accidentally brought back with them. When they finally manage to pull her out of London, unintentionally taking along Uncle Andrew and a coachman with his horse, they find themselves in what will come to be known as the land of Narnia.

7. The Last Battle (1956)
   Many Narnian years have passed since Eustace and Jill helped ensure the Royal line. But when they are jerked back violently into this strangest of lands they find the present King in danger and Narnia facing its darkest hour. With Eustace and Jill at his side, the King, the noble unicorn Jewel and a few remaining loyal subjects must stand fast against the powers of evil and darkness and fight the Last Battle to decide the future of this once glorious kingdom.

• The Chronicles of Narnia (2000) with Pauline Baynes, Illustrator
  Beloved by generations for more than 50 years, this classic children's series is now available in a special adult edition.

• The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Official Illustrated Movie Companion (2005) by Perry Moore
  The ultimate visual companion and keepsake to the making of the stunning fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe based on the beloved children's classic by C. S. Lewis.
  
  C.S. Lewis wrote the classic children's series over 50 years ago, and the amazing land of Narnia is finally coming to the big screen. This beautiful book captures the creative energy behind this film and offers the official inside story on how the magic was made.
  
  Includes selections from the script, still shots from the film, photos of the production, an introduction and stories throughout from the producer, Perry Moore, reflections and anecdotes from cast and crew, and much more.
  
  By going beyond the usual soundbites which make up traditional 'Making Of' books, this insider's account allows for the real personality of the project and its people to shine through its pages.
  Movie:

• The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up (2007), Matthew Armstrong, Matthew Reinhart, and Robert Sabuda, Illustrators
  C. S. Lewis's classic Narnia books spring to life in the hands of award-winning paper engineer Robert Sabuda. Each of the seven books in the series has its own pop-up spread rendered in spectacular detail with stunning special effects. Experience a different adventure from Narnia on every spread in this beautiful addition to the Narnia library—sure to enchant fans of both C. S. Lewis and Robert Sabuda.  Ages 4-8.

Letters

• Prayer: Letters to Malcolm (1964)

1. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 1 (Family Letters 1905-1931) (2000)
   The first of a three volume collection of the letters of C.S. Lewis, this volume contains letters from Lewiss boyhood, his army days in World War I and his early academic life at Oxford. From his declared atheism at age 16 to his budding friendship with Tolkein during his days at Oxford, these letters set the stage for the Lewiss influential life and writings.

2. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 2, Books, Broadcasts and War (1931-1949) (2004)
   The second of a three volume collection of the letters of C. S. Lewis, this volume contains many letters to prominent thinkers and writers, including J.R.R. Tolkien and Dorothy L. Sayers. The theology and ideas revealed in these letters provide insight into one of the greatest imaginations of our day.

3. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy (1950-1963) (2007)
   The final installment of the three-volume collected letters of C. S. Lewis, this volume contains the letters Lewis wrote during the last part of his life, spanning his time at Cambridge, his brilliant creation of the land of Narnia and the childrens series that followed, and his struggle with his wife Joys serious illness and death.

Non-fiction

• The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition (1936)

• The Personal Heresy: A Controversy (1939) with E. M. W. Tillyard

• The Problem of Pain (1940)
  For centuries Christians have been tormented by one question above all -- If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain? C. S. Lewis sets out to disentangle this knotty issue but wisely adds that in the end no intellectual solution can dispense with the necessity for patience and courage.

• A Preface to Paradise Lost: Being the Ballard Matthews Lectures Delivered at University College, North Wales, 1941 (1942)
  A Preface to Paradise Lost provides an interpretation of Milton's purpose in writing the epic.

• The Abolition of Man (1943)
  In this graceful work, C. S. Lewis reflects on society and nature and the challenges of how best to educate our children. He eloquently argues that we need as a society to underpin reading and writing with lessons on morality and in the process both educate and re-educate ourselves. In the words of Walter Hooper, "If someone were to come to me and say that, with the exception of the Bible, everyone on earth was going to be required to read one and the same book, and then ask what it should be, I would with no hesitation say The Abolition of Man. It is the most perfectly reasoned defense of Natural Law (Morality) I have ever seen, or believe to exist. If any book is able to save us from future excesses of folly and evil, it is this book." This beautiful paperback edition is sure to attract new readers to this classic book.

• Beyond Personality: The Christian Idea of God
   (1945)

• Arthurian Torso: Containing The Posthumous Fragment Of The Figure Of Arthur By Charles Williams And A Commentary On The Arthurian Poems By C. S. Lewis (1948)

• Mere Christianity (1952)
  Mere Christianity if the most popular of C. S. Lewis's works of nonfiction, with several million copies sold worldwide. Heard first as radio addresses and then published as three separate books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality this book brings together Lewis's legendary broadcast talks of the war years, talks in which he set out simply to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.
  
  It is a collection of scintillating brilliance which remains strikingly fresh for the modern reader, and which confirms C. S. Lewis's reputation as one of the leading Christian writers and thinkers of our age.

• Reflections on the Psalms (1958)
  Lewis writes here about the difficulties he has met or the joys he has gained in reading the Psalms. He points out that the Psalms are poems, intended to be sung, not doctrinal treatises or sermons. Proceeding with his characteristic grace, he guides readers through both the form and the meaning of these beloved passages in the Bible.

• Miracles: A Preliminary Study (1947, 1960)
  C.S. Lewis trains his impeccable logic on the question of miracles, setting up a philosophical framework for the proposition that supernatural events can happen in this world. Focusing his inquiry on the feasibility of miracles in general, rather than on anecdotal evidence for specific miracles, Lewis builds a solid and compelling argument for the acceptance of divine intervention.

• Studies in Words (1960)
  The connotations of words drawn from usage in English literature are studied to recover lost meanings and analyze function in this classic study of verbal communication by an authoritative analyst of the English language.

• The Four Loves (1960)

• An Experiment in Criticism (1961)
  Why do we read literature and how do we judge it? C. S. Lewis's classic An Experiment in Criticism springs from the conviction that literature exists for the joy of the reader and that books should be judged by the kind of reading they invite. He argues that 'good reading', like moral action or religious experience, involves surrender to the work in hand and a process of entering fully into the opinions of others: 'in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself'. Crucial to his notion of judging literature is a commitment to laying aside expectations and values extraneous to the work, in order to approach it with an open mind. Amid the complex welter of current critical theories, C. S. Lewis's wisdom is valuably down-to-earth, refreshing and stimulating in the questions it raises about the experience of reading.

• They Asked for a Paper: Papers and Addresses (1962)

• Selections From Layamon's Brut (1963), G L Brook, ed.

• Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature  (1966)
  This entertaining and learned volume contains book reviews, lectures, and hard to find articles from the late C. S. Lewis, whose constant aim was to show the twentieth century reader how to read and how to understand old books and manuscripts.

• The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature (1964)
  C.S. Lewis' The Discarded Image paints a lucid picture of the medieval world view, as historical and cultural background to the literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It describes the "image" discarded by later ages as "the medieval synthesis itself, the whole organization of their theology, science and history into a single, complex, harmonious mental model of the universe." This, Lewis' last book, was hailed as "the final memorial to the work of a great scholar and teacher and a wise and noble mind."

• Letters to an American Lady (1967)

• Spenser's Images of Life (1967), Alastair Fowler, ed.

• English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (1954, 1975)
  The completion of the Clark lectures, Trinity College, Cambridge, 1944. Oxford History of English Literature Volume III.

• Inspirational Writings of C.S. Lewis: Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, the Four Loves, the Business of Heaven (1991)

• All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C. S. Lewis 1922–27 (1993), Walter Hopper, ed.
  The life of the young Lewis was filled with contemplations quite different from those of the mature author. This early diary gives readers a window on the world of his formative years

Poetry

• Narrative Poems (1969), Walter Hooper, ed.
  Lewis often said that his favorite form of literary expression was the narrative poem, although he appears to have written just four, all of which are collected here. They exhibit the romantic aspects of his temperament and reveal his deep love for medieval and Renaissance poetry.
  See also Writing as Clive Hamilton.

• Poems (1994), Walter Hooper, ed.
  A collection of Lewis’s shorter poetry on a wide range of subjects-God and the pagan deities, unicorns and spaceships, nature, love, age, and reason.

Writing as Clive Hamilton

• Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics (1919)
  Poetry
  So piteously the lonely soul of man Shudders before this universal plan, So grievous is the burden and the pain, So heavy weighs the long, material chain From cause to cause, too merciless for hate, The nightmare march of unrelenting fate, -from "Dungeon Grates" C. S. Lewis is a profound and perhaps the most respected Christian apologist because his belief was so hard-won. This collection of verse, written immediately after he returned from the battlefields of World War I in 1919, offers penetrating insight into the psyche of a young man struggling with traumatic wartime experiences and the crisis of faith they engendered. By turns angry, bitter, and melancholy, these poems constitute a provocative document of Lewis's journey from atheism through agnosticism and on to conviction.

• Dymer (1926)
  Poetry

Writing as N. W. Clerk

• A Grief Observed (1961)
  In April 1956, C.S. Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman, an American poet with two small children. After four brief, intensely happy years, Lewis found himself alone again, and inconsolable. To defend himself against the loss of belief in God, Lewis wrote this journal, an eloquent statement of rediscovered faith. In it he freely confesses his doubts, his rage, and his awareness of human frailty. In it he finds again the way back to life

See also:

• C.S. Lewis: Apostle to the Skeptics (1949) by Chad Walsh

• Letters of C.S. Lewis (1966), W.H. Lewis, ed.

• C. S. Lewis: Speaker & Teacher  (1974) by Carolyn Keefe

• Light on C. S. Lewis  (1965, 1976), Jocelyn Gibb, ed.

• C.S. Lewis; An Annotated Checklist of Writings About Him and His Works (1972) by Joan K. Ostling and Joe R. Christopher

• Longing for a Form: Essays on the Fiction of C. S. Lewis (1977), Peter J. Schakel, ed.

• The Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and their friends (1978) by Humphrey Carpenter

• The Literary Legacy of C. S. Lewis (1979) by Chad Walsh
  In previous works C.S. Lewis has read and studied as though he were two authors-the writer of Christian apologetics and the writer of science fiction and fantasy. This is the first major critical study to examine his work as the creation of a single unique mind.

• C.S.Lewis and the Church of Rome: A Study in Proto-Ecumenism (1981) by Christopher Derrick

• Through Joy and Beyond: A Pictorial Biography of C. S. Lewis (1982) by Walter Hooper

• In Search of C.S. Lewis (1983) by Stephen Schofield

• Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis: A Study of "Till We Have Faces." (1984) by Peter J. Schakel
  The first study of C.S. Lewis to offer a detailed examination of "Till We Have Faces," Peter J. Schakel's book is also the first to explore the tension between reason and imagination that significantly shaped Lewis' thinking and writing. Schakel begins with a close analysis of "Till We Have Faces" which leads the readers through the plot, clarifying its themes and it discusses structure, symbols and allusions. The second part of the book surveys Lewis' works, tracing the tension between reason and imagination. In the works of the thirties and forties reason is in the ascendant; from the early fifties on, in works such as the Chronicles of Narnia, there is an increased emphasis on imagination - which culminates in the fine "myth retold," "Till We Have Faces." Imagination and reason are reconciled, finally in the works of the early sixties such as "A Grief Observed" and "Letters to Malcolm."

• The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings From C.S.Lewis (1984) Walter Hooper, ed.
  A journey through the ecclesiastical year with Christianity’s most eloquent and inspiring spokesman.

• C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion  (1985) by John Beversluis
  C. S. Lewis was one of the most influential Christian apologists of the 20th century. An Oxford don and former atheist who converted to Christianity in 1931, he gained a wide following during the 1940s as the author of a number of popular apologetic books such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain in which he argued for the truth of Christianity. Today his reputation is greater than ever--partly because of his books and partly because of the movie Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.
  
  In advocating Christianity, Lewis did not appeal to blind faith, but to reason. Convinced that Christianity is rationally defensible, he boldly declared: "I am not asking anyone to accept Christianity if his best reasoning tells him that the weight of the evidence is against it." But do Lewis's arguments survive critical scrutiny?
  
  In this revised and expanded edition of his book originally published in 1985, philosopher John Beversluis takes Lewis at his word, sympathetically examines his "case for Christianity," and concludes that it fails.
  
  Beversluis examines Lewis's argument from desire--the "inconsolable longing" that he interpreted as a pointer to a higher reality; his moral argument for the existence of a Power behind the moral law; his contention that reason cannot be adequately explained in naturalistic terms; and his solution to the Problem of Evil, which many philosophers regard as the decisive objection to belief in Christianity. In addition, Beversluis considers issues in the philosophy of religion that developed late in Lewis's life--such as Antony Flew's criticisms of Christian theology. He concludes with a discussion of Lewis's crisis of faith after the death of his wife and answers the question: Did C. S. Lewis lose his faith? Finally, in this second edition, Beversluis replies to critics of the first edition.
  
  As the only critical study of C. S. Lewis's apologetic writings, this readable and intellectually stimulating book should be on the bookshelves of anyone interested in the philosophy of religion.

• A Rhetoric of Reading: C. S. Lewis's Defense of Western Literacy (1986) by Bruce L. Edwards

• Clive Staples Lewis: A Dramatic Life (1986) by William Griffin

• Jack: C. S. Lewis and His Times (1988) by George Sayer

• The Taste of the Pineapple: Essays on C. S. Lewis as Reader, Critic, and Imaginative Writer (1988), Bruce L. Edwards, ed.

• Owen Barfield on C. S. Lewis (1989), G. B. Tennyson, ed.
  C. S. Lewis, theologian and literary scholar, and Owen Barfield, philosopher and London solicitor, were longtime friends. G. B. Tennyson, editor of these papers by Barfield on Lewis, believes this relationship of "two immense intellects" "one of the most absorbing literary friendships of the twentieth century." Lewis called Barfield the "wisest and best of my unofficial teachers"; to Barfield, C. S. Lewis was "the absolutely unforgettable friend." They had been friends and disputants from their Oxford days after the First World War until Lewis's death forty years later. Barfield was his solicitor and trustee in the later years. This is vintage Barfield as well as an astute appraisal of C. S. Lewis's personality and beliefs. In essays, interviews, several poems, and a fragment of fiction, Barfield writes of "the individual essence" of C. S. Lewis, his brilliance, his "absolute honesty of mind," his lack of interest in collectivities-races, nations, movements-his interest only in the individual soul, his "irrepressible bent for comedy," his "keenness in pursuing any point of difference or doubt to its final conclusion." Barfield writes about himself, also, as a way of understanding his friend: "In an argument we always, both of us, were arguing for truth, not for victory, and arguing for truth, not for comfort." Both trusted the imagination, but they differed on its relation to knowledge-"[Lewis] was in love with the imagination" and "to search for any link between myth and fact was for him a crucial error." C. S. Lewis and Owen Barfield had in common an awareness "of the silliness and the triviality of the time" and the conviction that the contemporary loss of the idea of sin was a disaster. But they also disagreed from the first, as Barfield explains, especially about theology, about the nature of God, the process of history. Lewis saw revelation as finished; Barfield saw it as a "continuing process," as he did human history. Lewis considered hierarchy necessary and healthy; Barfield regarded it as an evolutionary phase. Although C. S. Lewis died in 1963, Barfield's reflections on their relationship and analysis of its meaning ended only with his own death, in his hundredth year, in 1997.

• C. S. Lewis: A Biography (1990) by A. N. Wilson
  A subtle and poignant portrayal of the creator of The Chronicles of Narnia. Brilliant. Agnostic. Prejudiced. Gregarious. Bullying. Loyal friend. Heavy drinker. One of the most learned scholars of his generation. A controversial Christian apologist. Author of a children's fantasy that has sold millions upon millions of copies. And, after his death, almost a cult figure. C. S. Lewis was an incredibly complicated man, and, as revealed in this splendid biography, a mystery to those who knew him best. 8 pages of b/w illustrations.

• The Quotable Lewis (1990) by Jerry Root and Wayne Mardindale
  This book presents more than 1,500 quotes from Lewis's writings, providing ready access to his thoughts on a variety of topics. An exhaustive index references key words and concepts, allowing readers to easily find quotes on any subject of interest. Also included are many photographs of Lewis and his close circle of friends.

• Shadowlands (1991) by William Nicholson
  In this brilliant play - based on the true story of the British philosopher and highly successful author of children's fantasies, C.S. Lewis - a confirmed bachelor, devout Roman Catholic, and reserved Oxford don, has been corresponding with an American fan, Joy Gresham, who is Jewish, a lapsed poet, the mother of a young son, and about to be divorced. When Joy shows up in England on a visit, Lewis' Oxford friends are disdainful, suspicious, and dismayed. Lewis is delighted and a sudden decision to secretly marry Joy, so that she may stay in England, will only be the first in a series of uncharacteristic acts for Lewis. What happens between Christianity's great apologist and the outspoken American is destined to call into question the foundations of Lewis' theology... and his understanding of both the sacred and the all-too-human heart.  See also Shadowlands, the 1993 novalization tie-in by Lenore Fleischer.
  Movie (1994) Richard Attenborough, director with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger  DVD VHS

• Word and Story in C.S. Lewis (1991), Charles A. Huttar, Peter J. Schakel, ed.

• A Christian for All Christians: Essays in Honor of C.S. Lewis (1992) by Andrew Walker and Patrick James, eds.

• C. S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table and Other Reminiscences (1992)
  A collection of essays by twenty-two men and women whose reminiscences of Lewis as teacher, colleague, and friend form an intimate, candid, and sometimes surprising community biography. Index.

• Critical Thought Series 1 (1992), George Watson, ed.

• C.S. Lewis: A Reference Guide 1972–1988 (1993) by Susan Lowenberg

• Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis (1994) by Douglas Gresham
  See also Joy Davidman.

• Light in the Shadowlands: Protecting the Real C. S. Lewis (1994) by Kathryn Lindskoog

• The Christian World of C. S. Lewis (1964, 1995) by Clyde S. Kilby
  This study provides a perceptive and illuminating guide to C.S. Lewis's writings. Kilby examines Lewis's Christian works one by one, compares them with each other and with books by other authors, and elucidates the themes that recur throughout the main body of Lewis's writings.

• C. S. Lewis: A Companion & Guide (1996) by Walter Hooper
  Designed to deepen the appreciation and understanding of new Lewis readers and longtime enthusiasts alike, this comprehensive companion provides invaluable biographical, textual and historical insight into C. S. Lewis' remarkable personal, spiritual and intellectual legacy.
  
  Walter Hooper, an eminent C. S. Lewis scholar and one of the trustees of the C. S. Lewis estate, has created an accessible, organized, all-in-one resource that features:

  • A complete chronological biography that traces Lewis' life from his childhood in Belfast and war experience in France to his brilliant academic career at Oxford and Cambridge, through his religious conversion, the publication of each of his books, and his late marriage and widowhood.

  • A Who's Who listing of Lewis' family, teachers, pupils, spiritual mentors and friends, including Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the "Inklings," a circle of friends with whom Lewis gathered for some 30 years to share compositions and "enjoy a golden age of talk about poetry, language, myth and imagination."

  • A What's What guide to the significance of places and things, from The Book of Common Prayer to the Cherbourg House preparatory school where a young Lewis "ceased to be a Christian."

  • A Key Ideas exploration of Lewis' thoughts on everything from enchantment, reason, imagination and joy to democratic education, myth and the masculine and feminine.

  Giving thoughtful attention to each of Lewis' writings, and filled with telling detail, the C. S. Lewis Companion and Guide offers Lewis readers unparalleled access to the life and life's work of an extraordinary man.

• The Man Who Created Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis (1996) by Michael Coren

• Branches to Heaven: The Geniuses of C. S. Lewis (1998) by James Como
  One of the twentieth century's most widely read writers and its most influential Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis has nevertheless eluded the understanding of the numerous scholars who have approached him only as a religious thinker and man of letters. A new book by a leading Lewis authority explores the full range of his manifold genius and finds for the first time the surprising secret of Lewis's enduring literary and spiritual achievement.
  
  It will astonish Lewis's admirers and critics alike to learn that he was far from the settled convert he appeared to be. Yet this very unsettledness, which Lewis himself found alarming, was the source of the appealing tension in his work and of his unrelenting commitment to his apologetic vocation. It was in the service of this vocation that he exercised his overarching rhetorical genius-a dazzling adroitness at suiting word, voice, and argument to a particular purpose-always militant, compelling, and persuasive. As Professor Como explores Lewis's hitherto uncharted inner landscape-the core of both his spiritual insight and his intellectual greatness-there emerges a more complex and integrated figure than we have known before.
  
  The publication of Branches to Heaven coincides with the centenary of Lewis's birth, an occasion of heightened attention to Lewis and his work throughout the English-speaking world. It is available with a companion volume from Spence Publishing, C.S. Lewis: Memories and Reflections by John Lawlor, a moving and insightful account of the author's thirty-year friendship with Lewis.

• Simply C. S. Lewis. A Beginner's Guide to His Life and Works (1998) by Thomas C. Peters
  This engaging book--the ideal prelude for anyone preparing to read one of C.S. Lewis's many volumes for the first time--offers an excellent introduction to this novelist, professor, and Christian apologist's life and works.

• The C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia (1998), Jeffrey D. Schultz and John G. West, Jr., eds.
  Thirty-five years after his death, Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) only continues to grow in popularity among Christian and secular readers alike. Numerous books about Lewis and his writing have been published. Until now, however, none has offered an exhaustive treatment of his works. In one definitive volume, The C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia addresses all of Lewis's writings as well as the major themes of his work and life. This masterful book, with more than 50 photographs, gives you a thorough grasp of C. S. Lewis--the man, the thinker, and the wrier. Here at last, for fan, scholar, and critic alike, is a complete guide to Lewis's 52 published books, 153 essays, and numerous miscellaneous writings, including prefaces, letters, book reviews, and poems. The C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia contains - a biography that examines Lewis as a man of his time and his development as a thinker - a discussion of each of his works - discussions of the topics Lewis dealt with -- people, places, and ideas, scores of which have never before been addressed - a timeline of Lewis's life and writings - extensive cross-referencing throughout - a resource guide.

• C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands: The Story of His Life With Joy Davidman (1994, 1999) by Brian Sibley
  Two divergent lives remarkably intertwined in the love between Christian scholar C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman, a Jewish-American divorce and former Communist Party member. This perceptive portrait reveals their life together and Lewis's bereavement.

• A Love Observed: Joy Davidman's Life & Marriage to C. S. Lewis (2000) by Lyle W. Dorsett
  See also Joy Davidman.

• The Inklings Handbook: The Lives, Thought and Writings of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and Their Friends (2001) by Colin Duriez and David Porter
  The Oxford Inklings was an informal group of literary friends who met weekly to talk about ideas and pieces they were writing and enjoy a good evening of "the cut and parry of prolonged, fierce and masculine argument."
  
  This comprehensive guide to the lives, thoughts, and writings of C.S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield provides an introduction to the Inklings and a second A-Z section that contains many biographical articles, as well as entries on the group's publications, themes, and theology.

• We Remember C. S. Lewis: Essays and Memoirs by Philip Yancey, J. I.Packer, Charles Colson, George Sayer, James Houston, Don Bede Griffiths and Others (2001), David Graham, ed.
  This collection of essays and memoirs illustrates the breadth of influence upon today's leading evangelical writers and thought shapers of a man some have called the twentieth century's greatest Christian apologist. Contributors include former pupils, friends, his biographer, and various correspondents-people who had first-hand contact with Lewis or have published writings about his influence on their lives. Features essays by Philip Yancey, J.I. Packer, Charles Colson, George Sayer, James Houston, Dom Bede Griffiths and others.

• C. S. Lewis: A Biography (1994, 2002) by Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper
  This account of Lewis’s life was written by two men who knew him well and remember him warmly. Photographs from personal albums and the Lewis archives.

• Imagination and the Arts in C. S. Lewis: Journeying to Narnia and Other Worlds (2002) by Peter J. Schakel

• C. S. Lewis at the BBC: Messages of Hope in the Darkness of War (2003) by Justin Phillips

• C.S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason (2003) by Victor Reppert
  Who ought to hold claim to the more dangerous idea--Charles Darwin or C. S. Lewis? Daniel Dennett argued for Darwin in Darwin's Dangerous Idea (Touchstone Books, 1996). In this book Victor Reppert champions C. S. Lewis.Darwinists attempt to use science to show that our world and its inhabitants can be fully explained as the product of a mindless, purposeless system of physics and chemistry. But Lewis claimed in his argument from reason that if such materialism or naturalism were true then scientific reasoning itself could not be trusted. Victor Reppert believes that Lewis's arguments have been too often dismissed. In C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea Reppert offers careful, able development of Lewis's thought and demonstrates that the basic thrust of Lewis's argument from reason can bear up under the weight of the most serious philosophical attacks. Charging dismissive critics, Christian and not, with ad hominem arguments, Reppert also revisits the debate and subsequent interaction between Lewis and the philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe. And addressing those who might be afflicted with philosophical snobbery, Reppert demonstrates that Lewis's powerful philosophical instincts perhaps ought to place him among those other thinkers who, by contemporary standards, were also amateurs: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke and Hume. But even more than this, Reppert's work exemplifies the truth that the greatness of Lewis's mind is best measured, not by his ability to do our thinking for us, but by his capacity to provide sound direction for taking our own thought further up and further in.

• C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church (2003) by Joseph Pearce
  There are many Protestants and Catholics who have been deeply affected and spirituality changed by the writings of C.S. Lewis, including many converts to Catholicism who credit C.S. Lewis for playing a significant role in their conversion. But the ironic and perplexing fact is that Lewis himself, while "Catholic" in may aspects of his faith and devotion, never became a Roman Catholic. Many have wondered why.
  
  Joseph Pearce, highly regarded literary biographer and great admirer of Lewis, is the ideal writer to try to answer that question. The relationship of Lewis to the Roman Catholic Church is an important and intriguing topic of interest to both Catholics and Protestants. Pearce delves into all the issues, questions, and factors regarding this puzzling question. He gives a broad and detailed analysis of the historical, biographical, theological, and literary pieces of this puzzle.
  
  His findings set forth the objective shape of Lewis’s theological and spiritual works in their relation to the Catholic Church. This well-written book brings new insights into a great Christian writer, and it should spark lively discussion among Lewis readers and bring about a better understanding of the spiritual beliefs of C.S. Lewis.

• A Severe Mercy (2003) by Sheldon Vanauken -- Winner National Religious Book Award; Winner Gold Medallion Award
  This celebrated memoir traces the idyllic marriage of Sheldon and Jean Vanauken, their search for faith and friendship with C. S. Lewis, and the tragedy of untimely death and lost love. It includes eighteen letters by C. S. Lewis.

• Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship (2003) by Colin Duriez


Both Tolkein and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkein and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkein would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis' fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkein's influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds.

They quickly discovered their affinity--a love of language and the imagination, a wide reading in northern myth and fairy tale, a desire to write stories themselves in both poetry and prose. The quality of their literary friendship invites comparisons with those of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper and John Newton, and G.K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc. Both Tolkien and Lewis were central figures in the informal Oxford literary circle, the Inklings.

This book explores their lives, unfolding the extraordinary story of their complex friendship that lasted, with its ups and downs, until Lewis's death in 1963. Despite their differences--differences of temperament, spiritual emphasis, and view of their storytelling art--what united them was much stronger, a shared vision that continues to inspire their millions of readers throughout the world.

• C.S. Lewis: Through the Shadowlands (2004) 
  DVD  VHS 
  Starring Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom. Winner of over a dozen prestigious awards including the International Emmy for Best Drama and two British Academy Awards.
  He cried out, "Where is God when I really need him?" This film is about the agonizing spiritual crisis of C.S. Lewis when his wife died from cancer. The love, grief, pain, and sorrow were so shattering to Lewis that his basic Christian beliefs, magnificently communicated in his many books, were now called into serious doubt.
  
  But he picked up the pieces and moved out of the depressing "shadowlands," realizing that "real life has not even begun yet."
  
  Includes 90-minute television version and 73-minute abridged version.

• A Theological Journey Into Narnia: An Analysis of the Message Beneath the Text of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis (2005) by Markus Mühling

• C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies (2005) by Richard J. Wagner
  Curious about C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia? This plain-English guide provides a friendly introduction to the master storyteller and Christian apologist, revealing the meanings behind The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters as well as his other works. You'll also discover why Lewis went from being a confirmed atheist to a committed Christian and how he addressed his beliefs in his writings.
  
  Discover

  • How his life influenced his writings

  • His friendship with Tolkien and the Inklings

  • The parallels between Narnia and Christianity

  • His use of allegory and symbolism

  • Resources for further exploration

• C. S. Lewis: Images of His World (1973, 2005) by Clyde Kilby and Douglas Gilbert
  This reissue of a treasured classic offers a beautiful window into the people and places that shaped the life of beloved author, scholar, and apologist C. S. Lewis. In photographs and text (much of it in Lewis's own words), Douglas Gilbert and Clyde S. Kilby introduce us to such memorable friends as J. R. R. Tolkien and transport us to such magical places as the deer park outside Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College, Oxford. We also meet Lewis as a talented and brilliant child in Belfast, captivated by the myths and legends of the North, already writing and illustrating imaginative stories and poems at a young age.
  
  While the book includes an essay tracing Lewis's struggle to find faith and a chronology of his life, it is not a biography per se but rather a personal introduction, a composite portrait of a fascinating individual and the world in which he lived. Attractively laid out in a fresh new format, this volume will be prized both by longtime fans of Lewis and by those encountering him for the first time.

• C.S. Lewis: The Authentic Voice (2005) by William Griffin
  Formerly pulbished 1996 as Clive Staples Lewis: A Dramatic Life

• C.S. Lewis: The Boy Who Chronicled Narnia (2005) by Michael White

• Further Up And Further In: Understanding C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  (2005) by Bruce L. Edwards
  This new popular-level book from renowned C. S. Lewis scholar Bruce Edwards will enable C. S. Lewis buffs, new and old, to gain immense access and understanding into the mind of the author of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the creator of the world of Narnia. Further Up and Further In examines the message and theme of the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia. This book is a perfect companion for those who intend to see the forthcoming movie based on this story and wish to know about what Lewis was trying to communicate to his readers.

• Jack's Life: A Memory of C.S. Lewis (2005) by Douglas Gresham
  Douglas Gresham claims that Jack Lewis was the finest man and the best Christian he has ever known. Of course, Jack to Douglas is C. S. Lewis to the rest of the world. The informal address Gresham uses to refer to the great writer is indicative of the intimacy he shared with Lewis for a dozen years, living in England as Lewis's stepson.
  
  Jack's Life is an affectionate account of days now long gone. It is a personal memoir of a man who touched many in the classroom, even more with his pen, and made a significant, lasting, and eternal impression on one young man. Douglas Gresham is uniquely qualified to offer such an extraordinary portrait.

• Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual World of Narnia (2005) by Bruce L. Edwards

• The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis (2005) by Alan Jacobs
  The White Witch, Aslan, fauns and talking beasts, centaurs and epic battles between good and evil -- all these have become a part of our collective imagination through the classic volumes of The Chronicles of Narnia. Over the past half century, children everywhere have escaped into this world and delighted in its wonders and enchantments. Yet what we do know of the man who created Narnia? This biography sheds new light on the making of the original Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself.
  
  Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential religious writer of his day. An Oxford don and scholar of medieval literature, he loved to debate philosophy at his local pub, and his wartime broadcasts on the basics of Christian belief made him a celebrity in his native Britain. Yet one of the most intriguing aspects of Clive Staples Lewis remains a mystery. How did this middle-aged Irish bachelor turn to the writing of stories for children -- stories that would become among the most popular and beloved ever written?
  
  Alan Jacobs masterfully tells the story of the original Narnian. From Lewis's childhood days in Ireland playing with his brother, Warnie, to his horrific experiences in the trenches during World War I, to his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien (and other members of the "Inklings"), and his remarkable late-life marriage to Joy Davidman, Jacobs traces the events and people that shaped Lewis's philosophy, theology, and fiction. The result is much more than a conventional biography of Lewis: Jacobs tells the story of a profound and extraordinary imagination. For those who grew up with Narnia, or for those just discovering it, The Narnian tells a remarkable tale of a man who knew great loss and great delight, but who knew above all that the world holds far more richness and meaning than the average eye can see.

• Through the Shadowlands: The Love Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman (2005) by Brian Sibley
  See also Joy Davidman.

• Remembering C.S. Lewis (2006) by James Como
  In this intimate, candid, and sometimes surprising community biography of the celebrated author and Christian apologist, twenty-four men and women who knew C.S. Lewis—as teacher, colleague, friend—offer their reminiscences and impressions of the complex man behind the critical and academic acclaim.
  
  Through their recollections, we see "Jack" Lewis dazzling Oxford as he takes on atheists, materialists, and a host of other challengers. Most poignantly, we see him in everyday settings: striding up and down the platform at a railroad station, presiding over leisurely dinners with students, expounding on the virtues of the pub.
  
  "The net effect of this collection," said the Catholic Review, "is to make us feel that we know Lewis as well as [his] friends." And to quote the New Yorker, "The heterogeneity of the contributors assures a variety of Lewises, but certain traits appear in all these accounts: intelligence, imagination, gusto, a sense of fun, and, most frequently, magnanimity."  See also 1992 C. S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table and Other Reminiscences.

• Irrigating Deserts: C. S. Lewis on Education (2006) by Joel D. Heck

• C. S. Lewis: Life, Works, and Legacy (2007), Bruce L. Edwards, ed.
  Most popularly known as the author of the children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis was also a prolific poet, essayist, novelist, and Christian writer. His most famous work, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, while known as a children's book is often read as a Christian allegory and remains to this day one of his best-loved works. But Lewis was prolific in a number of areas, including poetry, Christian writing, literary criticism, letters, memoir, autobiography, sermons and more. This set, written by experts, guides readers to a better understanding and appreciation of this important and influential writer. Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His mother died when he was young, leaving his father to raise him and his older brother Warren. He fought and was wounded in World War I and later became immersed in the spiritual life of Christianity. While he delved into the world of Christian writing, he did not limit himself to one genre and produced a remarkable oeuvre that continues to be widely read, taught, and adored at all levels. As part of the circle known as the Inklings, which consisted of writers and intellectuals, and included J.R.R. Tolkein Williams, and others, he developed and honed his skills and continued to put out extensive writings. Many different groups now claim him as their own: spanning genres from science fiction to Christian literature, from nonfiction to children's stories, his output remains among the most popular and complex. Here, experts in the field of Lewis studies examine all his works along with the details of his life and the culture in which he lived to give readers the fullest complete picture of the man, the writer, and the husband, alongside his works, his legacy, and his place in English letters.

• God and the Reach of Reason: C.S. Lewis, David Hume, and Bertrand Russell (2007) by Erik J. Wielenberg
  C. S. Lewis is one of the most beloved Christian apologists of the twentieth century; David Hume and Bertrand Russell are among Christianity's most important critics. This book puts these three intellectual giants in conversation with one another on various important questions: the existence of God, suffering, morality, reason, joy, miracles, and faith. Alongside irreconcilable differences, surprising areas of agreement emerge. Curious readers will find penetrating insights in the reasoned dialogue of these three great thinkers.

• Milton, Spenser and The Chronicles of Narnia Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis Novels (2007) by Elizabeth Baird Hardy

• The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community (2007) by Diana Pavlac Glyer
  C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein were members of a writing group known as the Inklings, a group that also included novelist Charles Williams, historian Warren Lewis, and philosopher Owen Barfield. In this groundbreaking book, Diana Glyer invites readers into the heart of their meetings, showing how encouragement, criticism, and collaboration changed The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and dozens of other important works. While this book is a must for those who read Lewis or Tolkien, it will also appeal to those who are interested in the writing process, small-group interaction, the nature of creativity, and the various ways that artists challenge, correct, and encourage one another as they work together in community.

Note:  C. S. Lewis was the husband of Joy Davidman.