An encyclopedia of his life, thought, and writings

The A-Z of C.S. Lewis by Colin Duriez

About this book: Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s death, this complete guide covers all of Lewis’ works, from his literary criticism to Narnia

C. S. Lewis’s work is widely known and regarded, but enthusiasts are often only aware of one part of his work—his children’s stories and his popular theology; and yet he wrote so much more, including science fiction and literary criticism. This volume brings together all aspects of C S Lewis’s life and thought. Arranged in alphabetical order, it begins with The Abolition of Man—written in 1943 and described as “almost my favorite”—to Wormwood, a character in The Screwtape Letters. This book will delight anyone who is interested in C. S. Lewis and wants to learn more about him, his thought, his works, and his life.

About the author:For many years Colin Duriez was an editor at Inter-Varsity Press UK. He later appeared as a commentator on DVDs of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, and BBC television’s The Worlds of Fantasy. He is also the author of The Inklings Handbook (with the late David Porter), J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Story of Their Friendship, and Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. He has also contributed to definitive reference works relating to Tolkien such as The Tolkien Encyclopedia (Routledge).

Genre: Non-fiction/Reference

Judge this book by its cover? Yup. Pretty much covers it. 

You’ll want to buy this book if … you or someone you know is a fan of C.S. Lewis, whether it be his science fiction, children’s stories, literary criticism or apologetics. This tome is a bit pricey, perhaps, at $24.99 for the hardcover, but it would nonetheless be a worthwhile add to any serious C.S. Lewis collection. You can read what other bloggers are saying about A-Z here.

Why did I read this book? As a Litfuse blogger, for Revell/Lion Hudson for review

Would I read another by this author? Sure.

My take: Not the usual kind of book I review here (really, a reference?), but because it related to C.S. Lewis, I couldn’t resist. Even so, I didn’t expect to be so easily sucked into this book…but I was. As a devotee of the life and writings of C.S. Lewis from the time I was nine–starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (natch), progressing through all of the Chronicles of Narnia; then in college being amazed by his brilliant thinking in his books on the subject of Christianity; and then, after marriage, being enthralled by the riveting (if not entirely factual) portrayal of his marriage to Joy Davidson Lewis in the movie Shadowlands; to, as a writer, being intrigued by his relationship with his fellow Inklings–the man has long since claimed my fascination and admiration.

All of which is to say that I’ve been a follower for some time and yet didn’t know how much I didn’t know. But, just as in The Last Battle when Aslan leads his faithful children “higher up and deeper in”, so I found myself drawn into this book: into the cross-references and obscure details I’d never before uncovered. An hour slipped quickly away as I flipped from page to page. And I came away from it even more impressed with the breadth and depth of this man.

A terrific addition to the collection of any C. S. Lewis devotee.

Thanks to Revell/Lion Hudson for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

Now your turn: What was your first experience with one of the works of C.S. Lewis? Which is your favorite…and why?