Getting to Know
C.S. Lewis
To say that there is a multitude of resources about C.S. Lewis’ life and work is not an exaggeration. Scholars, theologians, writers, and fans have produced an abundance of work about him. We hope you’ll find something of value here. So pour your favorite beverage, recline in your most comfortable chair then take your time in getting better acquainted with Mr. Lewis.
Education & Events
The C.S. Lewis Foundation
The C.S. Lewis Foundation organizes The C.S. Lewis Summer Institute in Oxford, England. Registrations are open now for the 2022 event titled: “Surprised by Love: Cultivating Intellectual Hospitality in an Age of Uncertainty.” It takes place July 28 – August 5, 2022, Oxford, England.
The Foundation also provides resources for further education about Lewis.
Education & Events
Marion E. Wade Center
The Wade Center offers a collection of resources available nowhere else in the world. In their words, “we emphasize the ongoing relevance of seven British Christian authors who provide a distinctive blend of intellect, imagination, and faith: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams.
The Lamp Post , our Society’s scholarly journal is now accessible through J-Store.
Our Society brings together scholars, students, and others who share a passionate interest in CS Lewis and his writings. Our journal has maintained a strong scholarly tone while appealing to the interests of those outside the academy who are inspired by the fiction and non-fiction of CS Lewis. Click this link to access J-Store
Lewis Biographies
There are many biographies on C.S. Lewis. Here are five recommended by Brenton Dickieson. Mr. Dickieson is a university lecturer, and freelance writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He has a 10 minute YouTube talk about these biographies which you can find here: 5 Biographies of CS Lewis for 5 Seasons: A 10 Minute Book Talk with Brenton Dickieson. (click the link below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIpxQ8e1wAA
You can subscribe to his blog: A Pilgrim in Narnia | a journey through the imaginative worlds of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and the Inklings. https://apilgriminnarnia.com/
Follow him on Twitter, @BrentonDana.
Here are the five biographies:
#1 A personal biography by student and friend, George Sayer, Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30617.Jack
#2 A baseline critical biography by Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16184825-c-s-lewis
#3 A controversial biography from a skeptical angle, A.N. Wilson, C.S. Lewis: A Biography https://www.amazon.com/C-S-Lewis-Biography-N-Wilson/dp/B002JCHKUK
#4 A literary biography by American public intellectual Alan Jacobs, The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/660367.The_Narnian
#5 A biography of the spiritual life, Devin Brown, A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C.S. Lewis https://g.co/kgs/PxAmki
Joel Heck’s CHRONOLOGICALLY LEWIS timeline is a must for anyone interested in digging deeper into all things Lewis and especially for those engaged in scholarly research about him. “Chronologically Lewis is the single most important resource in Lewis scholarship. I not only have it bookmarked; I usually have that tab open.” Diana Pavlac Glyer, Azusa Pacific University.
Books about Lewis, his life, writing
and the Inklings
FICTION
The timing of Lewis’ death coinciding with that of Huxley’s and JFK’s, is the basis for Peter Kreeft’s book Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis, & Aldous Huxley. The book centers around an imagined conversation between the three men taking place in Purgatory following their deaths. Here is a link to the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64276.Between_Heaven_Hell
NON-FICTION
Diana Pavlac Glyer is a leading expert on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Her book, The Company They Keep, is the first and most complete examination of the Inklings and their close literary collaboration.
Dr. Glyer’s most recent book about the Inklings entitled Bandersnatch takes a closer look at the creative process between C.S. Lewis, J.R.R., and the other Inklings.
See her website for full descriptions and links to purchase her books.
https://www.dianaglyer.com/
Michael Ward, is a Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University.
Mr. Ward has written several books on Lewis’ work. We list three of them here:
Planet Narnia. In this award-winning and best-selling book, Ward posits a theory that Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles of Narnia out of imagery associated with the seven heavens of the medieval cosmos.
A more accessible version of his hypothesis is found in The Narnia Code, which was also a television documentary on the BBC.
After Humanity, is a guide Ward wrote to accompany C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man.
More information and links to purchase Mr. Ward’s books are on his website:
In His Own Words…
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
This is Lewis’s autobiography; his spiritual memoir, in which he recounts the story of his divine journey and eventual conversion to Christianity.
Exploring Lewis on the Web
C.S. Lewis Society of California
Their resource page is expansive and detailed.
They have an extensive list of books about C.S.Lewis:
The New York C.S. Lewis Society
The New York C.S. Lewis Society is the first Lewis Society in America, founded in 1969. Their website is a wealth of information.
C.S. Lewis Foundation, Redlands, CA
Their “Who is C.S. Lewis Section is particularly informative
Harper Collins Publishers
Harper Collins Publishers include a timeline of Lewis’ published work along with their list of his books for sale.
Click the link below to see their website dedicated to The Chronicles of Narnia https://www.narnia.com/
The C.S. Lewis Institute
The C.S. Lewis Institute is another great resource for Lewis fans and scholars. They offer many FREE online events so be sure to check out their EVENTS page.
CS Lewis Doodle
CS Lewis Doodle on YouTube provides a beautifully simple and engaging way of explaining many of CS Lewis’ most famous books, his ideas, and Christian apologetics. Try it out, and you might want to become a subscriber (it’s free).
S.C.C.S.L.S
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
C.S. Lewis
