"the a-z of c.s. lewis" by colin duriez

About the book (from Litfuse): A Complete Guide to His Life, Thoughts and Writings

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.

My take: As a fan of C.S. Lewis's work since childhood, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The A-Z of C.S. Lewis. It is everything I hoped it would be ... though it probably isn't a book you'll want to read from cover to cover!

The subtitle for this book is "An encyclopedia of his life, thought, and writings," and an encyclopedia is exactly what this is. Entries vary in length from one sentence to several pages. One thing I really appreciate is that every word within an entry that has its own entry is denoted with an asterisk—and practically anything I had a question about did have its own entry. It's very easy to lose 30 minutes or an hour going from one entry to a related one, and so on. This book is fascinating!

This book would be a useful resource for anyone—from the person with a passing interest in Narnia to someone who has read and studied Lewis for years. I'm very glad to add this book to my library! (And I certainly wish this book had existed when I was taking a college course on Lewis 10 years ago!)

My rating: 5 stars

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About the author: Colin Duriez was for many years a commissioning editor at Inter-Varsity Press UK. He has subsequently 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, and has contributed to definitive reference works relating to Tolkien such as The Tolkien Encyclopedia (Routledge).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."