Product Description
C. S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society.Amazon.com Review
C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man purports to be a bookspecifically about public education, but its central concerns arebroadly political, religious, and philosophical. In the best of thebook's three essays, "Men Without Chests," Lewis trains hislaser-sharp wit on a mid- century English high school text,considering the ramifications of teaching British students to believein idle relativism, and to reject "the doctrine of objective value,the belief that certain attitudes are really true, and others reallyfalse, to the kind of thing the universe is and the kinds of things weare." Lewis calls this doctrine the "Tao," and he spends much of thebook explaining why society needs a sense of objective values. TheAbolition of Man speaks with astonishing freshness to contemporarydebates about morality; and even if Lewis seems a bit too cranky andprivileged for his arguments to be swallowed whole, at least hisarticulation of values seems less ego-driven, and therefore is moreuseful, than that of current writers such as Bill Bennett and JamesDobson.--Michael Joseph Gross ... Read more

Customer Reviews (98)

what is our nature?
Lewis provides much food for thought, and I agree that he is prophetic in many ways.However, I object to his continual use of human "nature" as synonymous with selfish desires.Human beings have always been social creatures, and our survival depends not just on satisfying individual drives but also working together and caring for each other.This could be why some form of the Golden Rule is found throughout the world's cultures.Whereas Lewis personally ascribes the origin of morality to God, or at least an abstract Tao, in fact kindness, compassion, truthfulness, etc. may have evolved as a keys to our survival.

Even ants are hard-working, cooperative, solicitous of their young, protective of their Queen, defensive of the colony, and self-sacrificing. Why do we need to ascribe these characteristics to only spiritual creatures?

We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst
If this work seems unoriginal to some, it is so in the same way that Shakespeare seems trite in his use of English: Lewis could see exactly where modern education, in its abandonment of objective truths and natural law, was heading.Well into the 21st century, we are now living with the results of that abandonment.

Viewing everything through the lens of political correctness and equal outcomes, and by chopping those who achieve down to size, our political leaders are governing precisely as they were educated.They will continue to pinch, tuck and mold man so that he is in *their* image, and no longer in the image of the Creator; no longer bound by what Lewis calls the Tao - the law instilled in man from the beginning.

The two most telling quotes from this work:

"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful."

"At the moment, then, of Man's victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected to that in themselves which is purely 'natural' -- to their irrational impulses. Nature, untrammeled by values, rules the Conditioners and, through them, all humanity. Man's conquest of Nature turns out, in the moment of its consummation, to be Nature's conquest of Man.

If the 20th century was horrific because of the loud bang of its wars, the 21st century may well be more horrific from the faint whisper of its surrender.Out of all Lewis' works, this is probably the most unsettling.

CS Lewis is awesome
I actually bought this for a friend but I have my copy on my shelf at the house.C.S. Lewis looks at the religons of the past and present and shows that "natural law" has been known through every known civilization.If one looks at all the faiths that are out there, they all teach this "natural law" but express some combination of tithing, sacrifice, piligramage, or whatever with little towards atonement.Only Christianity says:"It is by grace that we are saved."(Romans 1:17)Salvation is not earned and C.S. Lewis shows the incompletion of the other faiths.
Although the first chapter is about a childen's text book and the errors made by english professors of the 1930's, this book is a great look into the oldest three faiths, (Old Norse, Tao, and the Eygptian Book of the Dead) and modern ones like Hindu and Native American.

Enjoy

Headaches, anyone?
Definitely the most controversial C.S. Lewis title I have read to date. He argues against relative morality and in favor of absolute morality with no stops in between. Compelling arguments, though debatable. Most interesting part of the book (for me) was the appendix with "illustrations of the Tao," which included teachings from ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Native American, and Chinese manuscripts.

A Strong Argument for Objective Truth and a Moral Law
The Abolition of Man is a treaty on the importance of Natural law, --an objective truth or a moral code-- that transcends time and culture. Lewis refers to this as the Tao, a system of truth that is embedded in all cultures throughout history. It is not an American or British truth, or even a western one. There are objective truths that all recognize, whether they follow them or not. As he states, he does not like the company of children, but he recognizes that as a default in him, not in children. This is similar to the color-blind man; my inability to see color says something about me, not about the existence of color.

When we stop teaching children to look for ideas and truths larger than themselves, "we have cut out of his soul, long before he is old enough to choose, the possibility of having certain experiences which thinkers of more authority than they have held to be generous, fruitful, and humane...That is their day's lesson in English, though of English they have learned nothing. Another little portion of the human heritage has been quietly taken from them before they were old enough to understand" (9). This vivisection causes society to produce "men without chests," and we somehow are surprised when people behave poorly, criminally, or, even worse, immorally. As Lewis states, "we remove the organ and demand the function."

We avoid feelings and beliefs as contradictory to the mind, to nature, to science. We seek to conquer nature in the name of progress. However, "man's conquest of Nature turns out, in the moment of its consummation, to be Nature's conquest of Man" (68). It is interesting that these talks were given during World War II, at the time when Hitler and his cronies were focused on conquering nature via eugenics and other human experimentations. How, Lewis would ask, could you say that he was wrong if there is no overarching moral standard in which torturing humans and killing the innocent are counted as wrong? Conquering nature results in conquering ourselves. The abolition of Man.

Lewis states that this book is not an argument for the existence of a theistic God, but I think it is a clear apologetic for one. How can we have moral laws and objective truths without a lawgiver and one who exists above the laws? While it is not a defense for a Christian God per se, it does point to a designer of a coherent and morally good universe.

This is a difficult work in spite of its 81 pages, but well worth the effort. ... Read more

Product Description
In this classic trial of faith, C. S. Lewis probes the fundamental issues of life and death, and summons those who grieve to honest mourning and hope in the midst of loss.Amazon.com Review
C.S. Lewis joined the human race when his wife, Joy Gresham,died of cancer. Lewis, the Oxford don whose Christian apologetics makeit seem like he's got an answer for everything, experienced crushingdoubt for the first time after his wife's tragic death. A GriefObserved contains his epigrammatic reflections on that period:"Your bid--for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, foreternal life or nonentity--will not be serious if nothing much isstaked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until thestakes are raised horribly high," Lewis writes. "Nothing will shake aman--or at any rate a man like me--out of his merely verbal thinkingand his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before hecomes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only undertorture does he discover it himself." This is the book that inspiredthe film Shadowlands, butit is more wrenching, more revelatory, and more real than themovie. It is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even astalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, andhow he can gradually regain his bearings. --Michael JosephGross ... Read more

Customer Reviews (165)

A grief Observed
This book gave me much more insight into my continued grief based on the loss of my mother to cancer.I bought the book for that purpose based on the recommendation from a friend.

Beautiful and Touching
I'm a huge fan of anything by Lewis, and this one is no exception.The book isn't meant to be read as a lesson on how to deal with grief or a comment on the human experience of grief.Rather, it contains the raw emotions of one man's individual experience.You see Lewis's grief, anger and doubts, and you also see how he begins to resolve the issue of pain, death, and separation with his faith.Readers should be advised that the author is a Christian and writes a good deal about his faith and how it is challenged and grown through his grief.I've seen other reviewers complain about the inclusion of his faith, but I don't think that should be unexpected from a Christian author in a book dealing with death.It is intensely personal and beautifully written.In short, it's heartbreaking and challenging, but completely worth the read.It's one that I'll keep around and pull out over and over again.

Beautiful
This book simply ripped my heart out when I read it. I cried like a baby. He's so honest about how he feels about God when his wife of 3 years passes away. Lewis is a genius in his other writings, but here, we see a man hurting. We see what grief does to the human soul and the questions that come with it.

C.S. Lewis's notes (... about a very personal grief)
(¤ thank you for reading this review and for your vote ¤)

INTRO:
"In April 1956, C.S. Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman [known as H. in the book], 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" writes publisher on the back-cover.

I read this book while mourning my grandmother, and I did not find the book as comforting as I thought it would be.I wished so much to give this read a 5 stars like the majority of reviewers, but I cannot, for the following reasons: a) the jacket over-promises (of "comforting thousands" and "will be a comfort and inspiration to anyone who has ever lost a loved one"), b) archaic and difficult language, c) short bursts of argumentation without much fill-in explanations and randomness of thought (no clear pattern).Allow me to explain the "+"es and "-"es of these reasons in the context of the book with examples, as found under CONTENT.

Also, C.S. Lewis's notes on grieving (the 4 chapters that make up "A Grief Observed") provided me with some good meat for thought, for my soul, and some great QUOTES (see CONCLUSION section).

AUTHOR:
Most people are familiar with who C.S. Lewis is (a short wikipedia search will provide most info necessary).

EDITION:
Bantman Books, 14th printing in 1988, with an afterword by Chad Walsh.This edition contains the 4 chapters of C.S. Lewis's grieving notes (pgs.1-89) followed by "another book" - "Afterword by Chad Walsh" (pgs.93-151) where Chad (an American professor of English and poet) gives us a very upclose & personal biography of C.S. Lewis as a close friend.

CONTENT:
"The notes have been about myself, about H. [Joy Davidman Lewis], and about God." confesses C.S. Lewis pg.71 - chapter IV.The book is broken into 4 title-less chapters (probably the areas where C.S. Lewis took breaks).He starts the book with the line "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear" and goes on discussing his emotions and thoughts and also fears (is God a bad one, a "Cosmic Sadist" - pg.43,45; do the departed also mourn; normalcy sets in again in one's life).

a) overpromises -
The four chapters provided me with a picture into C.S. Lewis's mind and emotions.Some of these I could related to, but others were a bit convoluted, distant, or confusing.I believe that each one of us GRIEVES personally and we also draw strength from our community.Being CONSOLED, finding your way through your BEREAVEMENT is a very personal process.Many of us will probably never ask the questions or bring up the arguments found in this book, but nevertheless, they help in having a broader picture on GRIEF.

b) language -
C.S. Lewis is the Cambridge professor who wrote the textbook for Middle Ages Literature, so as such be expected to find lots of "vacuity" when the text "geometrizes" your vocabulary and "vivisects" your word knowledge.C.S. Lewis also makes some use of mythological figures and contemporary personalities in his analogies (Amazon, Penthesileia, Camilla, Queen Victoria).Also, one should be up on their Bible knowledge (Solomon, St.Paul, Stephen the fist martyr, and Lazarus).Knowledge of Latin is esential to understand the last sentence of the book (pg.89) - "Poi si torno all eterna fontana" - a quote from Dante's Paradise and means "then she turned back to the Eternal Fountain."But if you feel that you are caught in "culs de sac" (pg.55) you are not alone.Some annotations by the publishers would have been helpful.

c) argumentation and randomness of thought -
Again, these are the notes of a great literary mind, but that does not mean that they follow logically or have been organized for easy digestion.Even C.S. Lewis admits, after a retrospective reflection "Why do I make room in my mind for such filth and nonsense?" and "these notes the senseless writhings of a man" (pg.38 - chapter II).Make no mistake about it, C.S. Lewis will take you on a very interesting journey where he analyzes various thoughts, feelings, moods, emotions, and doubts.Sometimes his arugment is pure madness if not simply blasphamous ("We set Christ against it. But how if He were mistaken? .... " paragraph in chapter II, my pg. 34).Some arguments are very terse, others long-winded and with some tangents.They all reflect the mind, spirit, and soul of a grieving person.

CONCLUSION:
Bottom line is, this book is no easy thing to read, let alone understand everything read.Although it must be said, it is a great book to have discussed in a reading club, or for anyone grieving a loved one.
The wONDERFUL QUOTES alone are worth the price:

Chapter I
"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." (pg.1)
"Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything." (pg.11)
"You can't share someone else's weakness, or fear or pain." (pg. 13)
"nature never plays exactly the same tune twice." (pg.16)

Chapter II
"The most precious gift that marriage gave me was this constant impact of something very close and intimate yet all the time unmistakably other, resistant - in a word, real." (pg.20)
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death." (pg.25)
"the past is the past and that is what time means, and time itself is one more name for death, and Heaven itself is a state where 'the former things have passed away' " (pg.28)
"Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly.Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively.But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand." (pg.28)
"Aren't all these notes the senseless writhings of a man who won't accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it?" (pg.38)
"It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap.The drill drills on." (pg.38)
"Up till this I always had too little time.Now there is nothing but time. Almost pure time, empty successiveness." (pg.39)

Chapter III
"Grief is like a bomber circling round and dropping its bombs each time the circle brings it overhead; physical pain is like the steady barrage on a trench in World War One, hours of it with no let-up for a moment." (pg.47)
"My love for H. [Joy Davidman Lewis] was of much the same quality as my faith in God" (pg.48)
"You can't see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears.You can't, in most things, get what you want if you want it too desperately" (pg.53)
"passionate grief does not link us with the dead but cuts us off from them" (pg.64)
"the less I mourn her the nearer I seem to her" (pg.66)
"For in grief nothing 'stays put' " (pg.67)

Chapter IV
"Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape." (pg.69)
"If you are approaching Him [God] not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you're not really approaching Him [God] at all." (pg.79)
"this is one of the miracles of love; it gives- to both, .. a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted." (pg.84)
"God.His love and His knowledge are not distinct from one another. .. He sees because He loves, and therefore loves although He sees." (pg.84)
"We cannot understand.The best is perhaps what we understand least." (pg.89, 3rd last paragraph).

(¤ thank you for reading this review and for your vote ¤)

Bought as a gift.
I purchased this as a gift for someone who was grieving the loss of a relationship.He seemed pleased with it. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Lewis's Reflections on Themes
I consider this one of Lewis' lesser works, or minor works, perhaps because it is not on one theme, so it is not as cohesive as other books. Lewis admits, at the beginning, "I write for the unlearned about things on which I am unlearned myself." He writes as a schoolboy discussing the topic with classmates, not as a teacher who knows so much he doesn't understand the problem. In other words, it is not so much theology as reader's reaction.

The problem is how to read the Psalms, how to interpret some of the statements. Lewis starts with the difficult themes, such as expression of hate. For instance, the cursing of Psalm 109, verses 7-11:

When he shall be judge, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor.

Lewis points out, for the contemporary Christian, this is not a justification for hatred. Rather we should recognize the sentiment to repent of, and the harm done - the hatred caused - by injustice. To quote Lewis, "Take from a man his freedom or his goods and you may have taken his innocence, almost his humanity, as well."

The next chapter, Death, emphasizes a recurring lesson: beware of reading the Psalms from the contemporary Christian perspective, take into account the context in which they were written. This relates to the chapter on death as Christians think of the eternal life that awaits. In the Psalms there is no eternal life after death.

There are two chapters on Second Meanings, which justify contemporary readings and the Christian perspective. Reading some of the verses as prophetic of Christ is not wrong. For instance, Psalm 45 anticipates the Nativity. But the Psalmist may not have known it was prophecy at the time of writing it. For Lewis it is not surprising that the words would take on more meaning with time as 1) he believes God guided the writers of the scriptures, and 2) he believes in the mythopoeic, a term he uses in other essays to describe the truths expressed in myths, including pagan and other religions. Christ not only fulfills Old Testament scripture, but the pagan by "transcending and abrogating it."

In the chapter, Scripture, Lewis writes a passage important to reading all of his works:

"I have been suspected of being what is called a Fundamentalist. That is because I never regard any narrative as unhistorical simply on the ground that it includes the miraculous. Some people find the miraculous so hard to believe that they cannot imagine any reason for my acceptance of it other than a prior belief that every sentence of the Old Testament has historical or scientific truth. But this I do not hold, any more than St. Jerome did when he said that Moses described Creation "after the manner of a popular poet" (as we should say, mythically) or than Calvin did when he doubted whether the story of Job were history or fiction. The real reason why I can accept as historical a story in which a miracle occurs is that I have never found any philosophical grounds for the universal negative proposition that miracles do not happen."

Review: Reflections on the Psalms
I begin my review of C. S. Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms by admitting unashamedly that I have been a fan of Mr. Lewis' work for much of my life.The mere thought of critically reviewing the work of such a great man seemed daunting only a few short months ago as I began my seminary studies.Since that time, I have (more or less) become accustomed to both the critical review of Biblical texts and what others write about those texts.I say that with the utmost respect for the much more learned authors and scholars I have the privilege of learning from.As has been said, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

In the first sentence of his book, Lewis plainly states, "this is not a work of scholarship."Though one could certainly make an argument against such a statement, I take Mr. Lewis at his word when he says he writes for "the unlearned about things in which" he is unlearned himself.Lewis continues his eight page introductory chapter by providing vivid examples of how the unlearned may learn from each other.This is a familiar approach that Lewis uses throughout the book.Lewis moves from one aspect of the Psalms to another, in no particular order, smoothly throughout the book while clearly explaining his view on each topic discussed.It is certainly possible to disagree with Mr. Lewis' views of the Psalms; one can do so with the benefit of knowing exactly where he stands and why on each topic.Though his use of Anglican terms may be, at times, a bit burdensome for unchurched readers, Lewis skillfully accomplishes what he set out to do in this book.

Lewis first addresses judgment in the Psalms and his surprise about how the psalmists talk about the judgments of God.He goes on to describe how the ancient Jews, much like Christians today, see God's judgment in terms of an earthly court.The difference in the view of the ancient Jews and Christians of today is that Christians view this as a criminal case with himself as the defendant while the ancient Jew saw God's judgment as a civil case with the Jew as the plaintiff.As one would expect from Lewis, he prefers the Christian view of judgment and goes into great detail defending this position.

Lewis follows his treatment of God's judgment with his views on the cursing passages found in the Psalms.As any student of the Scriptures knows all too well the Psalms are full of pleas to God to curse someone who the Psalter deems deserving.Lewis points out that this is true even in some of the most beloved of the Psalms such as 143.It is in Lewis' reflections on how these verses came to be that he finds fault in man.That is to say that what the men did to harm the Psalter is far worse for creating a new temptation or, worse still, a new sin in the life of another.Lewis also points out that the reaction of the Psalmists to injury is equally wrong although it is a natural reaction.

Following God's judgment and the cursings found in the Psalms, Lewis next addresses death in chapter four.He expresses his belief that the much of the Old Testament there is little or no belief in a future life.Lewis explains that this is, perhaps, part of God's plan in revealing Himself to man and to have done so sooner may have hampered man's ability to learn to adore God and seek Him.Lewis' knowledge of the history of ancient religions and cultures shines through as he ably makes comparisons to other belief systems at the time the Psalms were written.

After first dealing with more unpleasant topics (something for which he admits a preference), Lewis moves on to the beauty of the Lord.Lewis describes in his characteristic detail how experiences with the Lord in many instances referred to an event in the Temple.He also goes on to point out the difference between truly worshipping God and merely enjoying what Christians today might refer to as a good service.The ancient Jews likely would make no such distinction though, as Lewis points out, it is necessary and inevitable much like when a child realizes that the candy they receive at Easter has little to do with the significance of our Risen Lord.
It is difficult for the modern Christian to imagine the Law being sweeter than honey but Lewis's next chapter brings to the reader's attention that this is exactly the view ancient Jews held.A friend of Lewis' once told him that he thought it implied the satisfaction that the ancient Jew felt knowing he had obeyed the Law.Another view of what the ancient Jews thought of the Law could be compared to someone today expressing their love of history.This could be innocent enough but could also lead to other problems.Lewis' time is well spent unpacking his thoughts on this topic.

Chapter seven finds Lewis dealing with the subject of connivance (a topic many pastors today should consider for an upcoming Sunday morning sermon).First Lewis addresses the lack of penalties for bad behavior in society (oh how Mr. Lewis would be appalled to see how much further things have fallen since his death).Second, Lewis discusses how the problem of connivance is present in the lives of Christians.Lewis concludes this chapter by expressing his surprise in the fact that the Psalter mentions sins of the tongue far more often than any other even though the modern reader assumes, like Lewis himself did at one time, that ancient society was far more violent than the civility we enjoy in our modern times.

Next, the reader finds Lewis addressing the seemingly simply topic of nature.Of course, when discussing Scripture (Old or New Testament) there is little that is truly simple.Lewis reminds his readers that the ancient Jews lived in an agriculturally focused society.When the Psalmist talks about the country in his poetry he is most likely referring to the world at large.God and nature are clearly distinct with God having created nature.Lewis uses this as segue into a larger discussion about creation.He brings to the reader's attention the fact that other religions at that time did not have the type of creation story found in the Old Testament.Lewis goes on to make mention of God's forgiveness in the times of ignorance (Acts 17:30), even suggesting that God may have accepted a gesture of homage to the moon in those times.Lewis again demonstrates his knowledge of history including the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton's Monotheism in his discussion.

Expressing his hope that the chapter will be unnecessary, Lewis continues with a short discussion on the topic of praising.He reminds his readers what praise is and why it is necessary.Of course our Lord commands us to praise Him but this command is not out of a sense of narcissism.Rather, in recognition of the fact that we delight to praise what we enjoy, our praise not only expresses that joy but completes the enjoyment.Lewis further reminds us that this is true even when that praise is inadequate.
Moving on to a more difficult topic, Lewis discusses second meanings and how they are applied to Old Testament Scriptures by the modern Christian.As an author well versed in the use of allegory in his works of fiction, Lewis' approach to the second meanings of Old Testament Scripture is interesting.Lewis makes the case that though the Psalter and other writers of the Old Testament did not intentionally have a dual meaning in mind at the time of their writing but perhaps God did.Lewis goes a step further and suggests that were that second meaning put to those writers today they may even admit their words meant more than they realized at the time.

As the end of Lewis' short work draws near, he discusses Scripture, what it is, where it came from, and plainly accepts the possibility that some of the Biblical stories, such as Genesis, may have been derived from earlier, pagan sources.Lewis makes it clear that if this occurred, it did so with aid from "the Father of Lights".To help clarify, Lewis carefully defines what "derived from" means.A description of other pagan views of how things came to be is included.Lewis then reminds his readers of a simpler reason for accepting the Old Testament Scriptures as true: we are "committed to it in principle by Our Lord Himself".

Lewis closes by returning to second meanings focusing on those meanings as they pertain to the Psalms themselves.Here Lewis discusses at length the various Scriptures modern Christians claim clearly point to Christ long before the Incarnation.Here, too, Lewis also tells us that there need not necessarily be a second meaning but rather simply a few additional words added to Old Testament Scripture in the New Testament that complete an incomplete thought as in Psalm 84:10.Lewis concludes with his hope that we will one day be freed from the bonds of time.

A number of strengths can be mentioned with little effort on the part of any reviewer.First, Lewis' writing style is gentle and easy for even someone with little more than a passing interest in the material to understand fully.Second, Lewis does an excellent job of articulating each of his points and providing plenty of examples in support of his positions/beliefs.Third, Lewis also demonstrates a very broad knowledge of history that seems lacking in other works I have had the pleasure of reading during my seminary studies.Fourth, Lewis is accepting of other notions about the origins of the Bible but always turns back to God as its author in one way or another almost before his reader realizes he has done so.I could go on but to do so would be nothing more of a reminder of the fact I stated at the beginning of this review: I am a fan of C. S. Lewis.

More difficult, at least for me, is to discuss weaknesses in Reflections on the Psalms.The task is made somewhat easier given the fact that the book was written more than 50 years ago.Lewis begins by stating that his book is not a work of scholarship.From the view of a seminary student reading the work 50 years after its publication, I disagree.As Lewis mentions in his discussion about second meanings, perhaps it was not intended to be a scholarly work but it could certainly be used as a primer to a host of topics, both Christian and secular alike.Also, even in his time, Lewis' choice of language is questionable.For example, rather than using the term prig, thief would have suited his first readers and the generations that have followed much better.I will concede that it is possible that such words were commonly spoken in 1950's England but stand by the assertion that Lewis' readers may have benefited from using more common language.Perhaps it is difficult for an Oxford professor to "dumb down" his language after having taught at that distinguished institution for so many years prior to authoring this book.

Given the stated strengths and weaknesses of Mr. Lewis' work, it is easy for me to conclude that Reflections of the Psalms accomplished exactly what the author intended.Though I do not buy into Lewis' stated belief that he is unlearned writing for the unlearned.Lewis was widely recognized as a lay theologian in his day. Lewis' readability and gentle writing style is not unduly hampered by his use of uncommon words though.Throughout the book, Lewis always steers the reader back to Our Lord.Employing diverse sources such as pagan religious rites and ancient literature and multiple translations of the Biblical text, Lewis accomplishes his goal by skillfully guiding his readers through his personal views on the Psalms.There is obviously more that has been written of the Psalms and Lewis could likely have written much more himself.The seminary student, faithful church-goers, the curious and those casually interested in Christianity would all do well to take the time to read this book.

Reflections on the Psalms
This book is a thought-provoking discussion of experiences and difficulties the author has met while reading the psalms.I enjoyed reading one chapter, then reflecting on the psalms mentioned for myself before going on to another chapter.The book is small enough to take on the commuter train for an absorbing read. I plan to reread sections.

Lewis' work is great, but the book is too expensive
As in the title, this work of Lewis is great. His reflections on the Psalms are challenging to the serious Christian. It deserves five stars.

I have rated it poorly because of the printing of the volume. Even with the discount from Amazon.com, this book is WAY too expensive. Harvest Books simply issued an earlier printing. They did not bother to re-set the type, fix minor typographical errors, and publish it as their own book. The effect is that they bound a photocopy. What is more, they printed it on cheap paper that readily tears.

If you're looking for a bound photocopy of a great work, then this is the book to buy. Otherwise, save your money - go to your local library and make your own photocopies.

Unique insights - As always
I bought this book because I wanted to better understand the Psalms. They are often quoted in the New Testament and seem at once to be beautiful and confounding.C.S. Lewis approaches these works in a way that may seem sacrilegious to some. But for, his honesty and insights came shining through. I will never read them again without thinking more deeply, smiling at his analogies and feeling a greater connection to God. ... Read more

Product Description

C.S. Lewis, one of the world's most celebrated authors, writes candidly, clearly, and from the heart about the deepest human concerns of faith, joy, and love in this outstanding collection of four of his best loved works.

Surprised by Joy is a moving chronicle of a modern man who loses and regains his Christian faith; Reflections on the Psalms explores their relevance to contemporary life; The Four Loves sheds light on human affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God; and The Business of Heaven is a collection of meditations for every day of the year.

As Lewis wrote, "Joy is the serious business of heaven," and that business, and that goes into making it successful, is celebrated in the writings contained in this special collection.

Customer Reviews (7)

The only way to reality know the man
Lewis answered ever letter - even from children.His answers tell it like he is where-as others try to make buck telling us who they think he is!It is amusing academics write about Lewis and actually write to let you know how great they are and take the opportunity to discredit others who are also trying to make a buck on Lewis.I find that just reading Lewis is all you need to fully appreciate the man without someone else putting words in his mouth.His published letters will certainly fill in any voids you may have.I find that the more you read Lewis and the less you read what other say, the better off you are.Hooper,s bio is very good.

Expert On Love
I'm talking about The Four Loves (a book within the book): C.S. Lewis was an expert on many subjects.His clear thinking is almost unheard of today.This book outlines what love is from a purely Christian perspective.It is like a textbook on love, and I've read it twice.Plan to read it again.

One of the better deals as far as C. S. Lewis books go
Over the years, there's been a lot of varying editions of Lewis's books. This is one of the better bargains as it collects three unabridged works that were published during his life time, and then a daily devotional.The actual book quality is very good, with highquality binding and paper.What's also good is the first three books were all written around the same time period (the mid 1950s), so there is a continunity to the work that is not shared with his principal apologetic works of the previous decade (the 1940s).

As a previous review said, this is a four-fer, and has some of Lewis's better work.

"Surprised By Joy" is C. S. Lewis's spiritual autobiography[, from which the movie "Shadowlands" was drawn].It tells of his conversion to Christianity.Surprsingly enough, not about Joy Davidman.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, in Lewis's own words, is him "comparing notes" with fellow Christians.The book, first published in the mid 1950s, is notable as this was one of his first non-fiction books dealing with matters of Christianity since the MIRACLES book of the mid 1940s.While Lewis's works from that era are all based on logical arguments and apologetics, etc, REFLECTIONS is notable as they are exactly what they say they are: just reflections.There are no main arguments, etc, which is rather refreshing, and very much more of a devotional work.

THE FOUR LOVES, a work also lacking in an overall driving argument that provides the impetue to most of Lewis's apologetic works from the 1940s, is his essay on the four loves.These are the four with the greek terminology Lewis uses to describe them.The first is Affection (storge), Friendship (philia), Eros (sexual love), and Charity (Agape).Bok is quite an interesting erad.

The Last is THE BUSINESS OF HEAVEN.Good devotional, I suppose, but I'm inherently suspicious of all the endless repackaging that has been going on with Lewis's work.Most of it is unnecessary and gratuitous, and I come away from the whole affair with little more than the feeling Lewis's estate (I blame you, Walter Hooper!) are trying to make a quick buck off his name, piggyback style.I can't help but suspect colleagues of Screwtape are behind all this repackaging.

Overall, a good volume if you're looking to pick up some of his later day works.The actual book and publication itself is very high quality as well.Personally, I'd like to see them come out with a box set of his 1950s work (the first three, Till We Have Faces, Experiment in Criticism, Letters to Malcolm, Grief Observed, etc), like they did with his 1940s work, but hey I'll settle for this.If you're new to Lewis this is a good choice, or if you're looking to pick up these four books for a cheap price also a good choice.Overall, good choice. =)

Very thought provoking!
C.S. Lewis never fails to inspire one to think on a higher level.He can take a simple subject and write an entire book which keeps your attention throughout.The fact that these books were written before our modern era gives us a unique perspective on these still-pertinent topics.

Lewis is a great author, but...
The four works included are thought-provoking but not my favorite writings of C. S. Lewis.The editing is rather poor, though.The book is still a good deal considering it usually goes for just a little more than one volume alone, but it leaves some guess work as to what Lewis really meant. ... Read more

Product Description
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. This book, together with his early diary All My Road Before Me, form the closest thing we have to an autobiography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

I love this book.
I have to admit, CS Lewis is my favorite author, so that's part of why I love hearing about his childhood. But the other part is the way he came to being a Christian, through his years-long quest to capture Joy.

what kept me reading was the expectation on how Lewis' 'Joy' brought him to Jesus Christ, and basically that's the main theme
My First and foremost suggestion is that you don't buy this book unless you are really interested in C.S. Lewis' life and conversion, for it's a tough raw read yet an unique interesting one.
I would honestly say that there were few chapters that i didn't like, but what kept me reading was the expectation on how Lewis' 'Joy' brought him to Jesus Christ, and basically that's the main theme of this book in my oppinion. When i finished the book i felt sort of unsatisfied, like you're desperately opening a wrapped gift on Christmas hoping your dad bought your long awaited toy and find out that the gift is not what you exactly wanted, but then again i also found out that that was not the ending but rather his beginning.

Good read if you're a Lewis fan
Definitely not the lightest read in the world, but when are Lewis' nonfiction works ever light?The chapters about his schooling are a little difficult to understand if you're not familiar with the English schooling system, but I can honestly say I never got bored reading about his experiences.Also, if you're familiar with his other works, you know that he draws allusions from every sort book he's read in his past.I think he could have been a little more sensitive to those who aren't familiar with practically every type of Greek, Norse, and Irish mythology and English literature ever written!I found myself skipping over references of these kinds, wishing I had read as much as he had before picking up this particular book.

But! Enough ranting.Lewis is without a doubt my favorite writer of all time, and one can't help but to feel his heart through the pages of this book.Not to mention, this was definitely the funniest of his works I have come across to date.I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout many of the chapters.His wit and charm and great intellect pour out of this book. All-in-all, I believe it will be a fantastic and charming read for any fan of C.S. Lewis.

"Surprised By Joy" - A Joy to Read
I just finished the 230-page book by C.S. Lewis, "Surprised By Joy - The Shape of My Early Life." I have read other works by Lewis on the topic of Christianity, and have profited by them all. This book is no exception. It is a worthy read for Christians and non-Christians alike. People with inquiring minds will enjoy Lewis' intellectual path from atheism to belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God--for this is what the book is about.

(Whenever I read Lewis I want to take the book to a particular friend of mine who is as inquiring as is Lewis, but who is a determined atheist, or perhaps agnostic. He is determined not to believe, and I would wish otherwise for him.)

I am not one of those "inquiring minds," but I still very much enjoyed the descriptions of his home and homeland, the early schools he was forced to attend, his tutors, his teachers, and his few friends. The narrative is very typically Lewis: not devoid of emotion, but removed from it to the extent that it doesn't cloud the story.

His journey to Christ is very different from mine, but the closer he comes to faith, the more his path and mine intersect. Page 206, in the chapter "Checkmate,"

"The most religious (Plato, Aeschylys, Virgil) were clearly those on whom I could really feed. On the other hand, those writers who did not suffer from religion and with whom in theory my sympathy ought to have been complete--Shaw and Wells and Gibbon and Voltaire--all seemed a little thin; what as boys we called "tinny." It wasn't that I didn't like them. They were all (especially Gibbon) entertaining; but hardly more. There seemed to be no depth in them. They were too simple. The roughness and density of life did not appear in their books." (emphasis mine)

I have not read any of the authors he mentions; my experience simply tracks with the last part of his statement. The truth of Christianity includes all "the roughness and density of life," and this book traces in a compelling way an intellectual's journey to that truth.

Need some instructions
When I try to listen this CDs with Sony Walkman and several of my CD players, it skiped so bad tha I could not listen. I was ready to return them. However, my genius daughter told me to listen in computer cd drive because the it may have newer system.And it worked.But it is too bad that I cannot listen them in WALKMAN or my home CD players.Am I allow to down loard them into ITune them copy them on CD disc so I can listen to them in any CD players?
Anyway, the warning should be given on this item, I think.If I had known this trouble, I would not purchase it. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

Debes tener el libro
Es como una guía para que vayas entendiendo el libro, si no lo tienes o pretendes leer esto en lugar del libro, pierdes tu tiempo.

Very Helpful
This is a great book to use in compliment with Mere Christianity and I had no problems with the seller.

I used this book SO much!!!
I used this book a ton for my world religions class where the book Mere Christianity was required.I found the full length book very dry and repetitive, this book helped me tremenously to get through the text.I am getting a good grade in my class which is based half on my knowlege of this book and half on one other and lecture.I would reccomend it if you have a problem reading C.S. Lewis.good stuff!! The seller got this book to me super quickly and it was very affordable.

Detailed Devotion
I am really enjoying the detail that Mere Christianity Shepherd's Notes has for group devotionals, and individual study.This is a great companion to the complete book.

Deceptive description
This book is not "Mere Christianity", it is a guide to go along with it.Do not Purchase it thinking that you will get the text of the book "Mere Christianity". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fantastic!!!
I just finished reading this book and it has helped me tremendously. I now know which direction to go in regards to Lewis' works. I'm not quite ready for "Mere Christianity", "The Four Loves", or even"Suprised by Joy." I know that based on the excerpts I read fromthis great book. I will now read "The Pilgrim's Regress" Itshould be good. I reccomend this book for anyone wanting to know more aboutLewis and his works. Peter Kreeft does a fine job.

Truly great primer
You can find a primer much better than this. Lewis may well be the most influential Christian of this century, and deservedly so.His writings should be read by all Christians.No one has better given Christians areal sense of how the present (the shadows) and eternity (the real thing)interrelate. ... Read more

Product Description

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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (102)

What a shame...
Well, this was very disappointing. In the final chapter of C.S. Lewis' space trilogy, he completely abandons almost everything that made the first two novels interesting. First, Dr. Ransom, the main character from the last books, is no longer the main character. Rather, two new characters, Mark and Jane, are the ones the reader sees most of the story through. Also, Lewis abandons most of the space theme as the characters stay Earthbound, losing much of the awe and wonder that characterized the settings of the first two novels. He also is way too analytical in this book as he is trying to refute some of the themes that make up the modern sci-fi movement of his time, as characterized by Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. Really, this book is nearly 400 pages of debate, petty academic squabbles, and refutations, most of which hardly advances the story at all. And lastly, and perhaps the greatest tragedy of all, the entire story is anti-climatic. Not only do none of the characters really do anything to shape the story, but even Lewis admits, through the character of Dr. Ransom, that everyone was just observers and not movers. BORING! Still, some of the arguments that Lewis kicks around are interesting carry overs from the previous two novels, but this book completely failed as a story. Such a shame too. After "Perelandra," this one had so much promise.

Good, but great?
C.S. Lewis's book "That Hideous Strength" has good lines, lots of good lines.It deftly analyzes many of the problems of modern secular relationships and the secular state.But the ending is a complete deus ex machina.The killing off of all the various "evil" characters also feels a bit sadistic at times.There's never much suspense about how it will end.This might have been less of a problem if I was reading it as the conclusion of the trilogy, but Lewis says in the introduction that this can be read on it's own, if less profitably.The emphasis should probably be on "less profitably".

Takes effort, but so worth it.
This is the third book in C. S. Lewis's science fiction trilogy.These books get progressivley more detailed, theological, "heady" as the series goes on.I think I would say that this is my favorite of the three, perhaps because it sums up the story of Elwin Ransom that was started in "Out of the Silent Planet", or perhaps because it is just plain the weirdest out of the three.It has a rather gory ending, which is not to my personal taste, but the story ends very satisfactorily.I totally recommend the whole series, but this book especially is not for children.Also, it is not "light" reading, and takes some concentration and perseverance.Absolutely worth reading, if you like this genre and/or author. I would also receommend reading the three books in order.

A fantastic classic
I came to this trilogy late, thanks to a friend who gave me the first book for my birthday. I read the three books in a row, almost without stopping.

The narrative is rich and complex, the language beautiful and evocative ... This third volume, though, is a bit different from the first two, where the hero travelled to other planets. It might surprise, maybe even disappoint some readers, and yet, it concludes the trilogy beautifully, and effortlessly mingles elements of fantasy, science fiction and literary prowess.

A must-read for Tolkien fans, or people who enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia as children.

The abolition of man
"That hideous strength" is a science fiction/fantasy novel by British writer C.S. Lewis, otherwise mostly known for his children's tales about Narnia. Lewis wrote a "space trilogy" for adults, of which "That hideous strength" is the concluding part. The novels of the trilogy can be read independently of each other.

The plot of the novel revolves around a secret, evil brotherhood. The brotherhood, known as NICE, are a kind of anti-humanist, technology-worshipping Satanists. Their ostensible goal is to give humans eternal life through some kind of cloning. NICE probably symbolize the evils of modern, industrial civilization (and its enchanting allure). Their real goal is, in effect, the abolition of man. The rituals of NICE are based on conspiracy theories about secret Templar and Masonic rituals. Indeed, there is a strong atmosphere of conspiracy thinking in the novel. I'm surprised that it's almost never referenced by conspiracy theorists. Of course, the conspiracism is a literary device. There is nothing in Lewis' non-fiction indicating that he believed in conspiracies. Once again, my guess is that NICE is a symbol of modern science gone mad, and modernity in general being turned against humanity.

Lewis was a fairly conservative Christian, and "That hideous strength" is therefore imbued with a Christian message and various supernatural elements. The scientists of NICE, at least initially, believe that they have cracked the secret of immortality through scientific means. In reality, their bizarre laboratory has been taken over by demons! NICE are challenged by a small group of Christians, led by the mysterious Elwin Ransom, who always reminded me of Jesus. Another supernatural character is the wizard Merlin. More annoying are the patriarchal elements of the story: marriage is for life, women should obey their husbands, and so on. Ransom is a pretty bad marriage counsellor! Another disturbing kind of Christian morality comes across when Merlin exclaims: "I'm not immoral. The only people I ever killed were heathen Saxons". So that makes it alright, then?

Still, my main problem with "That hideous strength" isn't the conservative Christian message. Obviously, a Christian writer will write Christian books. The novel goes somewhat astray on two other points. First, there is a disconnect between the first part of the novel (almost a suspense thriller) and the second part, where Lewis introduces elements of Arthurian romance and a unexpected cross-over with the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien (!). I don't mind supernatural elements in sci fi novels, but these feel like the wrong kinds of supernatural elements. A charismatic revival is thrown in for good measure at the end, presumably as a foretaste of the apocalypse. Once again, the reader is left wondering what on earth is going on...

The other problem I have is that Lewis somehow wanted to write a novel about pretty much everything. The introduction of a bear in the story becomes an opportunity to preach against pantheism. On another page, Lewis discusses various ways of approaching a spiritual conversion experience. And what attitude should true Christians have towards the House of Windsor? Stay tuned for a theologically correct answer. Rather than developing two or three (Christian) themes, Lewis wants to develop them all. It's almost as if he forgot that he was writing a novel, rather than a non-fiction book!

That being said, I nevertheless found "That hideous strength" interesting, even intriguing. The criticism of mad science, phoney progress and secret elites was particularly interesting. As a secular "leftist", I presumably criticize society from almost exactly the opposite vantage point compared to a conservative Anglican.

Still, it can hardly be denied that "science" and "progress" untempered with morality are...evil.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

C.S. Lewis, still great!
The Abolition of Man is a superb short work.Written in the '40s, C.S. Lewis projects the ultimate result of extending the logic of contemporary secular progressive philosophy on mankind.

The Great Divorce is a C.S. Lewis classic deeply probing concepts of heaven and hell.It is a wonderful study in mankind's self absorption and the spiritual blindness that engenders.

Typicaly Great CS Lewis
If you're looking at this you probably already know CS Lewis was a great writer. My guess is you probaby have read both of these wonderful books. So why buy the audio? Because, it is a wonderful way to really get into the story in you spare time that's normaly wasted doing things like driving, hosehold chores ect. Just pop it in and make the best use of your time. I got this for my father a while back and I don't think he's listened to his car radio since. ... Read more

Product Description

C. S. Lewis spent a good portion of each day corresponding with people via handwritten letters. Over his lifetime he wrote thousands of letters in which he offered his friends and acquaintances advice on the Christian life, giving away a bit of himself to each of these correspondents as he signed his notes with a heartfelt and familiar, "yours, Jack." Most of these letters are currently only available in their entirety—a collection consisting of three hefty tomes. Yours, Jack features the best inspirational readings and sage counsel culled from C. S. Lewis's letters, offering an accessible look at this great author's personal vision for the spiritual life.

Customer Reviews (6)

classic spiritual advice
This collection of replies to those in need of advice comes from a source that many will recognize as a well rounded individual. You wish you could be his friend as he deftly and kindlygives his reader a chance to stand back from their problem and view the larger, eternal picture. As many classics do, it speaks to contemporary times.

spiritual direction by example
If you're a fan of C.S. Lewis you already know you want this book! :-) But when you read it, you may be surprised to find yourself learning the most simply from his example. His humility (as mentioned by a previous review), generosity, daily prayers for others, knowledge of Scripture, and growth in his own understanding come out more clearly in this book than in anything else I've read about him. His example will spur you on in your own journey.

Nice introduction to the man and his mind
I feel a little silly writing a review after reading the others already given as they present the heart and value of the book so well, but even so I thought that I could just add my little voice. This is the best new book of collected Lewis anything to come out in a long while. In addition to what others have noted, I have found these letters to be useful notonly because they are headed by short synopses, but because the majority of them are actually less than two pages long. I am not sure if it was meant to function as a devotional per se, but that is how it has worked for myself. Tons of wisdom, wit, humility and logic at the service of our Lord through his instrument Mr. Jack Lewis. It is rather stunning to read him in letter format; he doesn't shake at all. Those who knew him often remarked that he spoke like he wrote- clear, logical, complex but to the point, and always at the service of the Faith once delivered.

If you have any interest in the logic of Christianity, spiritual nourishment or Lewisian studies, this is a' must buy' for sure.

See also Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis for a sympathetic and moving account of his life.

Enjoy!

Precious Nuggets
I first saw Yours, Jack at the library and soon knew I wanted my own copy so I could mark some of the precious nuggets.I especially enjoyed the single entry for 1938, which closed with, "So few of us will really rest all on Him if He leaves us any other support."The context of this quote is amazingly relevant to the worries we have these days--terrorism and other scary stuff! It was also interesting to see Lewis' fear of poverty.And, altho he often ends letters with "You are in my prayers," one time he closed with "You are in my prayers, such as they are." and I loved that touch of humility!

Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis
There are three major volumes of C.S. Lewis' letters now available. Virtually every surviving letter from Lewis is now contained in these three massive books.

If you are like me, you wonder how to sort through so many letters in order to find the advice from Lewis that has spiritual value. There's no reason to wonder anymore. Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis
is a collection of the best of Lewis' letters from all three collections. In this volume, one finds the letters containing "spiritual direction" from Lewis.

I thoroughly enjoyed Yours, Jack. The editors did a good job of selecting which letters to include in this collection. And they helpfully include a summary of each and an index that makes the letters more accessible to readers looking up a certain topic.

There are some gems here. Let me give you a few worthwhile quotes:

"The trouble about God is that he is like a person who never acknowledge's one's letters and so, in time, one comes to the conclusion either that he does not exist or that you have got the address wrong." (1921)

"One needs the sweetness to start one on the spiritual life but, once started, one must learn to obey God for his own sake, not for the pleasure." (1931)

"(Sensual love) ceases to be a devil when it ceases to be a god. So many things - nay every real thing - is good if only it will be humble and ordinate." (1940)

"I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience et cetera doesn't get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one's temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the very sign of his presence." (1942)

"The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's `own', or `real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one's `real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination." (1943)

"The doctrine of Christ's divinity seems to me not something stuck on which you can unstick but something that peeps out at every point so that you'd have to unravel the whole web to get rid of it." (1944)

"When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased." (1952)

"You ask `for what' God wants you. Isn't the primary answer that he wants you?" (1954)

"The wrath of God: 'something in God of which the best image in the created world is righteous indignation.'I think it quite a mistake to try to soften the idea of anger by substituting something like disapproval or regret. Even with men real anger is far more likely than cold disapproval to lead to full reconciliation. Hot love, hot wrath...." (1963)

These are just a few of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis' letters. Yours, Jack offers an inside look into Lewis' correspondence. Readers will benefit from the counsel found in these pages.

... Read more

Product Description
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.

“A beautifully executed and deeply moving book” (Saturday Review).
... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Practical Advice on Prayer from St. Lewis
"Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" is one of C.S. Lewis' lesser known books, and yet it's filled with the same godly insight and striking phrases that we find in his other writings.What a wonderful thing it is when you have the greatest Christian writer of the 20th century (Lewis) writing about one of the most important topics (prayer)!

Apparently, Lewis found prayer one of the most difficult topics to write about as well, because he had started on a book on prayer as early as 1952.Only after he hit upon the idea of writing the book as a series of fictional letters was he able to complete the book."Letters to Malcolm" was the last book that C. S. Lewis wrote: he finished writing it in May 1963 and died November 22, 1963, the same day as JFK (and Aldous Huxley)!

"Letters to Malcolm" is an unusual book on prayer, largely because of the form it takes.Lewis doesn't directly attempt to define prayer or give a complete manual of how to pray but instead offers practical advice on the practical issues related to prayer that most of us are facing but never talk about.

Because of the stature of Lewis as a writer, the wonderful aids to prayer, and the thought-provoking way that Lewis presents his material, this is a 5 star book.It helps that it's only 124 pages of material: in reading it I don't have a sense that I have to rush to finish it but can savor not only the wisdom on prayer but also the way that Lewis expresses his ideas.

Here are just a few of the quotable Lewis sentences from the book:

"And they don't go to church to be entertained.They go to use the service, or, if you prefer, to enact it. . . .But every novelty prevents this.It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing from worshipping."

"We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us."

"I have no doubt at all that if they are the subject of our thoughts they must be the subject of our desires."

"I have tried, since that moment, to make every pleasure a channel of adoration."

"Our emotional reactions to our own behaviour are of limited ethical significance."

"On the other hand, I find that the prayers to which I can most fully attend in church are always those I have most often used in my bedroom."

"Behave as if you loved God and man."

There are many good books on prayer out there, but "Letters to Malcolm" will make you think about how you pray more than just about any other book on prayer.

Autobiography, Not Theology
In Lewis's last book he sums up many of his works, and his popularity, as a layman: "All this is autobiography, not theology" (105). In Letters to Malcolm, he writes on prayer, from experience, not any kind of interpretation of text. For instance, he writes on imagery, whether it is a source of concentration, a distraction, or an idol. He writes on his personal choice to combine reciting published prayers, sparingly, with praying in his own words. He writes of how irksome prayer can be, the proof being that prayer is assigned for penance.

I enjoyed the book, from the perspective of one who has practiced the duty of prayer for years. It is very personal. This is created, in part by Lewis's use of a form he has used before - that of letters written from a mentor. The book also gives me the impression of how Lewis became more tolerant (though I hate to use such a word charged with political connotations). He is more accepting of other ways to come to the same point, for instance his discussion of a "true religion" in the commonalities of the experiences of mystics. He admits his weaknesses. This book is less rhetorical than his other works, like Miracles or The Problem of Pain, in that it is not the form of stating a thesis then refuting arguments of opposition.

Letters to Malcolm
If you enjoy C.S. Lewis' apologetic works, you'll enjoy these letters to Malcolm where he discusses prayer and anything else that comes to mind.

The Mystery of Prayer
Wow! This is a tiny book that's packed with huge thoughts on the mysteries and workings of prayer. When my mentor first handed it to me I thought, 'Good. I should be able to finish this in a few days and keep trucking.' Wrong. It took me a long time. Of course, I was reading it along side of something else, but still. I just wasn't expecting it to be so heady. (It's Lewis on prayer. I don't know why I thought it would be a cake walk.)

Throughout the book Lewis makes these small, effortless statements that made me put the book down, take off my glasses, rub my forehead and stare out the window off into the mountains thinking, 'What in the world does that mean?' Or, 'There are so many implications connected to that simple statement.' And my head would begin racing (or just hurting).

Lewis comes at prayer from a base of God's immutable timelessness. So in order to agree with him on some of his thoughts on prayer, it may be important to agree with him on that aspect of God's character. (See also my review of Terrance Tiessen's Providence & Prayer : How Does God Work in the World?.)

What I appreciate most in Letters to Malcolm are Lewis's insights, or what he calls "festoonings" concerning the Lord's Prayer. This I found to be very practical for the ways in which Lewis applies Christ's instructions on prayer to his life: What does it mean to pray, "Thy Kingdom come," and, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"?

I'm a fan of Lewis, and I enjoyed his mind-stretching commentary on prayer. It is encouraging that a mind like C.S. Lewis finds prayer to be just as mysterious as I do.

"De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine . . . "
"Domine Exaudi Vocem Meum" . . .

C.S.Lewis . . . like Thomas Merton, was a man of faith . . . a man of thought . . . a man of contemplation . . . a man of prayer . . . and a writer . . . and so he frequestly lived and expressed his belief, his thought, his prayer, his soul, on paper, in words, in phrases and sentences and paragraphs which both communicated his spiritual pilgrimage and which also became classic "still shot photographs in words" of "everyman" . . .

This is a short volume, not many pages, and can be read quickly . ..but which then draws you back to read and re-read passages more slowly and more thoughtfully and more reflectively so that like a spring rain, drop by drop, Lewis's reverent personal thoughts on "communicating with God" can sink in and help our own life of prayer to take root and grow and develope.

as you read his "letters to Malcolm", don't approach them as if you were eavesdropping or a snooping voyeur spying on Lewis's private papers, but think of yourself as being "Malcolm" and these letters as having been written and addressed to "you" (beause they were . ..and are). You will find much of your own self referenced in his words and thoughts.

Lewis doesn't and never tell anyone "how to pray", nor does he criticize how anyone else approaches prayer. he makes it clear that prayer is something we all share in common, yet is personal and unique to each individual person (it is not a procrustean bed, a one-size fits all, or all must fit one size device). but he does share HIS prayer experiences and what has benefited and served him in his walk and talk with God and his fellowman . . . and in reading, we also get reflection of our own selves as wwe walk along with C.S. Lewis on that same pilgrimage journey toward a common desitination, destiny and end point (or "beginning point" perhaps being more accurate to say).

What is so good about C.S. Lewis is that he can take deep ideas and make them so much less threatening . . . it is exactly like a conversation with a good friend over a cup of tea or on an evening stroll, where all the pretenses are down,and we talk for real, not trying to impress or be impessed, but simply to speak reality. (although, C.S. Lewis never fails to impress! ha!)

Reading any of C.S. Lewis's books or writings on faith and religion is more than worthwhile and rewarding. and "Letters To Malcolm: Chiefly On Prayer" is no exception. and a small book not to be missed or passed-by . . . it may surprise you how after you read it, you will find yourself returning to it more than once to savor sections or paragraphs that just ring with a resonance you identify with and recognize your own prayer relationship in. ... Read more

Product Description

C. S. Lewis is a beloved writer and thinker and arguably the most important Christian intellectual of the twentieth century. His groundbreaking children's series The Chronicles of Narnia, lucid nonfiction titles such as Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain, and thought-provoking fiction, including The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, have become trusted companions for millions of readers. Here Lewis breathes new life into words and concepts that have dulled through time and familiarity, and his writings inevitably provoke deep thought and surprising revelations.

Customer Reviews (3)

A Great Book for Guided Daily Inspiration
This book is absolutely incredible.C.S. Lewis' depth and wit come together to make theology applicable to everyday life.I use this book as a morning devotional, but it could be used in a variety of other ways.The quotes are very diverse, taken from different sources including Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia series, the Screwtape Letters, Letters to Malcom, The Great Divorce, The Problem with Pain, and others.I have loved reading this book of Lewis' quotes.I know you will too!

Beautiful Book!
A typically insightful and meaningful book by the immortal C.S. Lewis. Anything that Lewis writes is historically profound and spiritually moving to the nth degree. His 'Words to Live By' are powerful and beautiful, and are profoundly original. If you love Mr. C.S. Lewis you will love this book.

What!?
So now books that deal with Christian topics have to be cheapened by blatantly ripping off the cover art of sensational teen fiction?what is the point of that?I'm expecting some reaction from Little Brown/ Stephenie Meyer eventually.I guess you have to sell the book and do it by whatever means necessary.Just keep recycling Lewis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Fiendishly Clever: A Profound and Unique Spiritual Classic
"The Screwtape Letters" is one of the most profound and unique works by C.S. Lewis, himself a profound and unique author.The startling originality of "The Screwtape Letters" remains as fresh today as it did when Lewis first published it in the 1940s.Every C.S. Lewis work I've ever read is filled with amazing spiritual insights expressed in memorable and forceful language, but in "The Screwtape Letters" Lewis is at his best.As most readers know, "The Screwtape Letters" consists of letters written from a superior devil (Screwtape) to a junior devil (Wormwood) about how to lead a subject away from The Enemy (God).

Some may choose to read "The Screwtape Letters" for entertainment, and it is a quite entertaining book.The task of reading what Screwtape writes and then reversing its meaning to be able to apply it to one's life is a delightful process.But I find that the book is best read in small doses, a chapter at a time, and in a devotional way.Each chapter has at least one spiritual truth that it would be good for us to eat and digest slowly.Because of both its literary and spiritual genius, it will forever remain a classic of the English language.If you have not read "The Screwtape Letters" before, you owe it to yourself to read it slowly and with great relish.

Here are some of my favorite insights from the book:

In Chapter 2 Lewis dissects the way Satan uses the disappointments in our lives to lead us away from God.Screwtape writes: "If once they get through this initial dryness successfully, they become much less dependent on emotion and therefore much harder to tempt."

Lewis continues to reveal the temptation to rely on emotions and our inner states in Chapter 3.Screwtape counsels his junior devil to keep the mind of the man on the inner life so that his mind is turned to something inside him."Keep his mind off the most elementary duties by directing it to the most advanced and spiritual ones."I know many Christians who have been tempted in this way.

In Chapter 4 Lewis addresses the subject of prayer through the pen of Screwtape.The first goal is to distract the man from prayers, but if this fails, he should "Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by action of their own wills."

It's amazing how often Lewis (through Screwtape) attacks our dependence on our emotions.Chapter 6 finds Screwtape counseling Wormwood to keep the "patient" in states of uncertainty, suspense, and anxiety.This plan appears to be working all too well in the lives of the Christians I know.Fear, in particular, is useful to the Enemy: "It is your business [Wormwood's] to see that the patient never thinks of the present fear as his appointed cross, but only of the things he is afraid of."The key Spiritual Law we may derive from Chapter 6 (translated into the positive) is "be self-unconscious with things of God; be self-conscious with things of sin or devil."

Chapter 7 is one of the most important.Lewis' discussion of the "Materialist Magician," the man worshipping what he vaguely calls "Forces" while denying the existence of "spirits," is a very timely one for our culture today.It reminds me of the theology of Star Wars.Screwtape believes that when the demons can produce such men, then the end of the war is in sight.Lewis' discussion in this chapter of how temporal affairs are the primary material for obedience was also a very important one.

Chapter 8 is another brilliant one, in which Lewis describes the Law of Undulation - that life has ups and downs.There are peaks and troughs in life, and God uses the troughs more than the peaks.One of the most profound and useful things of all that Lewis says is that the best prayers are those carried out when one is no longer desiring but still intending.I find this concept very helpful in the spiritual life, and not just when it comes to prayer.

Along the way, Lewis also deals with moderated religion, humor and flippancy, gluttony, love, sex, hopelessness, and feminine beauty.

By presenting truth in such a remarkable manner, Lewis allows his reader to apprehend some of the most important spiritual truths we all need to learn.This is one of the few books in life that bears repeated reading!

Screwtape Letters, the book
Received the book on schedule and in very good shape. It will occupy a place in my grand daughters personal library for a long time. It's a classic in the making.

screwtape letters
This is a really interesting book.It is not the kind of book that you can just read anywhere though.The most difficult part of this book is being able to wrap my brain around evil thinking.I think the majority of people are not raised to be evil,we are told at a very young age that being a good little girl or boy is the best thing that we can do.Well in this book the main characters are evil and they truly want others to be so.This is the kind of book that would be great for a bookclub to disect.

Postal Service screw-up
When I received my package, it looked like it had been left in the rain and run over...quite literally, it was a jumbled mess. It was no fault of this seller though, my beef is really with the US Postal service, they were completely unhelpful. Not much that can be done about that, very disappointed...

Great Book!
This is a great book and an easy read for a C.S. Lewis book.If you are interested in his work this is a great place to start.He gives a very interesting view from "below" on how there is a war being waged for your soul.It's the subtle things that we have to look out for. ... Read more

Product Description
The personal story of one of the most influential Christian writers of all time

From his celebrated children's stories of Aslan and the land of Narnia to his imaginative insight in The Screwtape Letters, Clive Staples Lewis has become one of the most prominent Christian statesmen of the twentieth century. His writings are known worldwide, and his own story offers readers an illuminating and fascinating look into the events and factors that shaped his life and thinking.

Christians familiar with Lewis' books may be surprised by what they find: the faith-shattering early loss of his mother, a father who remained aloof, constant illness which threatened his education, a tormenting principal who strengthened his belief in hell, a near death in France during World War I. This story of C. S. Lewis a confirmed agnostic and skeptic at the age of thirty-one and of his remarkable conversion to Christianity and subsequent commitment to influence others for Jesus Christ make for inspiring reading.

When God "closed in" on him, life would never be the same!

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a very good book about the life of C. S. Lewis.
In this book by Catherine Swift, you will find a very interesting and touching book about a beloved author. The book tells of his early childhood with out a mother and with a father who doesn't pay much attention to his children. The only thing the children have to turn to are themselves and there writings of animal kingdom. This story follows through his teenage and adult life through his marriage until his death. It was very well written and is a great book although it is not very long. I think this book was a 9 and 1\2 ... Read more

Product Description
An Answer to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity helps the reader realize not only the absurdity of Lewis' arguments, but it points the reader to a much more profound appreciation of God and of God's gift to us of reason. This book is a great in strument to use to help you make the very important real distinction between God and religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's about time!
It's about time someone wrote an objective reasonable response to C.S. Lewis' classic Mere Christianity. This book is a great read and really makes you think! Friends who told me to read Mere Christianity when I told them I was a Deist and no longer a Christian are now being told by me to read Bob Johnson's An Answer to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity to help them see Christianity goes against our God-given reason.

One of the things I like about this book is that it takes Lewis' arguments for Christianity one by one and applies reason to them. They do not stand up to reason. This makes the reader realize that God and religion are two different things. This is an important point that can be applied to all the different books which are claimed to be the word of God - the Bible, Torah, Koran, etc.

Also, this book is well documented which makes it easy to get an objective grasp of the Bible and Christian doctrines. It's a must have for anyone who has read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and for anyone with an open mind or who wants to have an open mind! ... Read more

Product Description
All together in one beautiful 3 volume set are C.S. Lewis' "Out Of The Silent Planet", "Perelandra", and "That Hideous Strength. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

great series
Since I am a C.S. Lewis fan, I looked forward to reading these books.They were better than I had even anticipated--full of meaning for life (the struggle of good and evil) in the midst of an engaging story.The same main character (Dr. Ransom) appears in all three.The last one ("That Hideous Strength")was so fascinating that I could hardly wait to pick it up.These books require a thoughtful reader.

Excellent Fiction
The C.S. Lewis space trillogy in my opinion is one of the more enjoyable works that C.S.Lewis wrote. It is a fantasy written to an older audience than the Chronicles of Narnia and like the rest of his fiction works has a numerous ties to christian theology. The three books in the trillogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Peralandra, and That Hideous Strength follow chronologically but any one of them could be read on its own and make sense. My favorite is Peralandra as it deals with the fall of man in the garden of eden while remaining a well written story in its own right.
I greatly enjoyed the format of the volume I purchased where all three books were in one hard bound edition, that is mostly preference and the series is also available as individual hard and soft bound books and, I think, a soft bound volume.

Loved it in the '70s and love Lewis now
Like the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy is timeless. The story brings allegory to a new art.

Great series
. I love anything to do with space so naturally when I found out C.S.Lewis had written a trilogy I bought and read all three. I recently wrote a song with my band Red Umbrella loosely based on the first book 'Out of the Silent Planet'. The song begins as our hero Ransom has been drugged and stowed on a spacecraft to who knows where...http://www.redumbrella.net/freeaudio/RedUmbrella_CrazyAcoustic.mp3

enjoy

Philosophical Sci-fi
I find this a very provocative science fiction trilogy.Lewis' view of cosmology and theology is neat, and the story, though somewhat dated, is interesting. ... Read more

Product Description
This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is LewisÂ’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.Amazon.com Review
At once more human and more mythic than his Perelandratrilogy, Lewis's short novel of love, faith, and transformation (bothgood and ill) offers the reader much food for thought in a compact,impressively rich story. Less heavy-handedly Christian-allegoricalthan Narnia, Till We Have Faces gives us characters who remindus of people we know facing choices and difficulties we recognize.This deceptively simple book takes on new depth with each rereading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (216)

Wow!
If Mr. Lewis had turned his mind toward science instead of literature, we'd have those flying cars they promised us by the year 2000. I thought I'd read everything C.S.L. had ever written until I came across this book in a used book store. I loved it. If I really like a book I will read it more than once, but this is the first time I've ever finished a book, flipped it over, and started back through it imeadiately. I've read it four times in the last few years and just started through it again. I've also purchased copies of it for my friends - another sign that I really like a book.

I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer.
This could be Lewis' fiction masterpiece.

So many themes converge in this work - it's like a cut jewel in a bright light: look at it from a slightly different angle, and a new facet will sparkle before your eyes.

There's the theme of redemption. The backdrop of the Cupid and Psyche myth. The 13th chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Gender. Jealousy. Power. The fragility and brokenness of human nature. Pride. The inversion of St. Augustine on the last page: "Long did I hate you."

For me, this is perfect story-telling, intertwined with powerful Christian teaching - yet it's all done so delicately, with such a light touch.

If you're new to C.S. Lewis, I don't know that I would make this the first book of his I'd read. Not that it's difficult, but it's so much richer - you'll see many more facets of the jewel - if you've read Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, or Miracles.At least re-read this one after you've read some of them.

Excellent!
C.S. Lewis was a wonderful writer, to say the least. I was quite excited when I got this book in the mail and saw it was in basically excellent shape.

Book Review
The book we ordered was in good condition and I would purchase from this vender again.

Lewis at his best
This is a high point in the writings of C S Lewis. Truly one of his best. Lewis wrote on a number of levels from children's works through to some pretty heavy going university lectures. While the cover of this book may suggest otherwise, "Till We Have Faces" is actually an easy enough read when considering the depth and complexity of the subject matter.
Also worth noting: this paperback is a nice edition with larger format and type and a quality feel. A masterpiece from the master. ... Read more

Product Description
Nineteen essays-on democratic values, threats to educational and spiritual fulfillment, literary censorship, and other topics all displaying Lewis’s characteristic sanity and persuasiveness. Introduction by Walter Hooper.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

New Age of Chivalry
Did C S Lewis ever write anything that wasn't thought provoking? I got this set of short stories mainly for his essay on the need for Chivalry today. It lived up to all I had read about it. We need young men who are both gentlemanly and savagely protective. If lacking one or the other character qualities, they are either "milk toast" or barbarian. The balance is needed in true manhood today.

Through the Past Darkly
With the recent Narnia movie, cranking out Lewisiana has almost become a cottage industry. With the plethora of titles, one is hard pressed to know where to begin. Some reviewers consider this book a bit of flack shoved off on the gullible public hungry to read more. I take the opposite tack.

While most of the recent Lewis- related titles take his work out of its historic context, attempting to relaunch it as relevant in our own, this book goes the other way. It's firmly anchored in the era of WW II when Lewis wrote, and entirely concerned with the state and future of Britain. Thus these essays are for modern readers not "present concerns" but rather windows into the past.

Each of these nineteen essays appeared in British newspapers, and most of them still hit hot buttons today. It's arguable whether Lewis wrote "down" to news readers, but he had an uncanny knack of connecting with readers even when he couldn't socialize with them. For instance, he remarked that he didn't care for the society of children, by which he meant he was uncomfortable in their social circle. But that didn't stop him writing seven of the most beloved kids' books of all time, nor of keeping up lively correspondence with them.

Lewis' views on the censorship of books (he was against it) become particularly notable in context. He wrote at the time that D.H. Lawrence's novel, Lady Chatterly's Lover was the subject of obscenity trials, and expressed his opinion forcefully in the essay included in this collection (He alludes briefly to this view in his excellent book about reading, An Experiment in Criticism). Like that book, this is not one of Lewis' best sellers, but readers may be surprised to find how much in our day these topics are still present concerns.

Gems from a master essayist
I recently gave a copy of this slim book to the person on this planet whom I most respect. It's easy to overlook a book like this: the essays are short and they don't advance our understanding of Lewis's faith to any appreciable degree. But what words of wisdom we find therein! Our civilization possesses no one of Lewis's caliber today, and a reading of this delightful book should sadden as much as it enlightens.

Not really a review, sorry
I do not own this book, and am not reviewing it.But there is a quote from the essay "On Living In An Atomic Age" that is going around once again, following the London bombings of July 2005.I am putting it here on Amazon so interested parties Googling to find the source of the quote might have an easier time of it:

"If we are . . . going to be destroyed by [a] bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things--praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts--not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs."
--C.S. Lewis

"B-Side" Lewis
This book is a slice of Lewis' mind. As a compilation of essays between 1940-1945, you would think that it would be dated.Yet, Lewis characteristically merges the timely with the timeless, which makes this tome a book for all seasons.

Each chapter is an isolated essay, but all revolve around the themes established in "Abolition of Man."These include the elimination of absolute values, the effects of literature on character education, and so forth.

Intermixed with these heavy and pressing topics, however, are two essays, "Hedonics" and "Talking About Bicycles."There are about mere pleasures and the simple delights of existence.You can taste and feel his sense of life and his sense of delightful please in common day things.Lewis is no curmudgeon, but something else-a mixture of rugged Elijah and tender Elisha.

Lewis, as a literati, amateur historian, and an ex-pagan, has a good eye for decadence.Indeed, his was a warning voice that SHOULD have been headed. We are so far downstream that it would take several C. S. Lewises to effect a turnabout.This may be impossible, but at least we can start with ourselves.

This is not the best book for Lewis neophytes.Start with the anthology "A Mind Awake," and stick with the "Five Classics," and "Abolition of Man."Then work your way through "Weight Of Glory" and "God In The Dock." ... Read more

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¿En realidad suceden milagros?

Customer Reviews (1)

Inconsistencas en la traduccion
Solo quiero decir qu lei este libro en ingles y m encanto sobr todo el argumento de como la razon tiene un origen sobrenatural. Lo que quiero resaltar es que lo compre en español y estoy extrañado con la traduccion de esa parte, no es fiel al texto y me parece que le quita fuerza al argumento. ... Read more

Product Description
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: “Idea poems which reiterate themes known to have occupied Lewis’s ingenious and provocative mind” (Clyde S. Kilby, New York Times Book Review). Edited and with a Preface by Walter Hooper.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Lewis literary genius does it again
cs lewis studied literature and myth and his brilliance shines thru - yes poems may seem disapointing to some, but lewis is always worth the read.
great for a present to a love-one for they will be surprised that lewis wrote poems.

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

101 Great American Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)

Beautiful, brainy, powerful
C.S.Lewis's verses are beautifully crafted, imaginative, powerful expressions of wonder, joy, cynicism, and love of life. His erudition will appeal to those with a classical education, but many of the poems are straightforward and speak to a general reader. Among the poems are a few that hint at his fascination with mythology and with science fiction and space.
This volume is packed with surprises, particularly in choice of words, that made me think "wow!" Definitely I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates well-written poetry, whether a previous fan of Lewis's or not. -- M.A.

Thy bookshelf is naked until...
...this is on it! I have read and re-read this thing, and will continue to do so! My usual reaction to reading anything that Lewis committed to paper is something like... "Now there's something worth remembering for the rest of my life." His poems are no exception.
This compilation is superb in that it spans all of the short verse that Lewis wrote from the age of sixteen until his death at age sixty-five.
He was profoundly disillusioned with the direction of the "modern" poetry of his day. He lamented the incoherence and lack of structure that was taking place (his poem "A Confession" addresses these feelings), and he greatly favored a return to a metrically disciplined, rhyming style.
That's what we get here in Lewis's Poems. Over one hundred lightning flashes bursting with intelligent layers of meaning, yet remaining accessible to the average reader. These poems are healthy, they embrace life, they respect death, they exalt nature, they are wide-eyed at night and squinting at the brilliance of noonday. Using subject matter as diverse as salamanders to meteorites, these poems impart truth because they come from the mind of someone who believed in objective truth. As he said, "Great subjects do not make great poems; usually, indeed, the reverse."
And elsewhere "'Look in thy heart and write' is good counsel for poets; but when a poet looks in his heart he finds many things there besides the actual. That is why, and how, he is a poet."
If I started listing my personal favorites I'd exceed amazon's 1,000 word limit! Suffice it to say that perhaps the greatest thing about Lewis's Poems is that once you've read them you're left with a sense that the author thinks highly of the reader!

"It seems to me appropriate, almost inevitable, that when that great Imagination which in the beginning, for Its own delight and for the delight of men and angels and (in their proper mode) of beasts, had invented and formed the whole world of Nature, submitted to express Itself in human speech, that speech should sometimes be poetry. For poetry too is a little incarnation, giving body to what had been before invisible and inaudible."
- from Lewis's "Reflections On The Psalms" -

What makes Lewis so great?
Well, for starters... he thinks that words like Imagination, Nature, and Itself, are proper nouns that deserve capitals!

C.S. Lewis, the poet: Great Work from a master writer!
Many readers, even some of C.S. Lewis' biggest fans, don't realise that Lewis wrote poetry. In fact, Lewis once said that poetry was his favorite literary form. Well, as it turns out Mr. Lewis was an excellent poet, full of style, emotion, and above-all, imagination! The poems in this collection show C.S. Lewis to be a true master of rhyme and meter, and he is also quite masterful in his uses of imagery, sound, and metaphor. There are also some fine non-rhyming pieces here, but it is really his excellent sense of rhyme that sticks out in your head long after you put the book away. Much of the work here (though not all) is of a spiritual nature, and Lewis expresses his faith in Christ quite openly, but never crosses the line into the type of overt "preachiness" that taints much of Christian-oriented poetry. Poems such as "As the Ruin Falls" (which was later turned into a song by Christian musician Phil Keaggy), "Reason", "Pan's Purge", "Deadly Sins", "Pattern", and "Love As Warm as Tears" rate right alongside some of the finest spiritual rhymes ever written, and for fans of Lewis' popular Narnia stories, there is even an imaginative piece called "Narnian Suite". If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis, or just a fan of classic-style poetry, then please crack open this fine book and enjoy!

Gentle Genius
While his prose is outstanding and without peer in the English language both in content and style, C.S.Lewis' poetry is worthy of note, although not to the level of Thomas Hardy, Robert Frost or W.B.Yeats.Favorites areMeteorite "glad rush of the golden shower"; a poem about asnubbed unicorn who missed Noah's ark; and a parody of Evolution. If youlike thoughtful poetry that rhymes and makes sense, you will enjoy thisbook. ... Read more