The C.S. Lewis Hoax [Hardcover]

Kathryn Ann Lindskoog (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Pub; 1ST edition (November 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880702583
• ISBN-13: 978-0880702584
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,724,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book exposes a lot of false claims about C. S. Lewis., January 7, 1999

By 

it (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Hoax (Hardcover)

Lord Acton said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. St. Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil. These two principles have combined in the C. S. Lewis literary estate. As one of the many economically foolish things CSL did in his life, he left the management of his literary estate to two friends who did not have the experience or time to manage it. At the first opportunity his friends unloaded the management upon the first person handy, a student from America who was keenly interested in Lewis' books and occasionally visited him in the last summer of his life.

Predictable results occurred. This person wielded power over publishers who made huge profits from the books. He had the power to say which academics had access to certain Lewis archives and which got permission to quote Lewis. The publishers had to include this person's book introductions in which he rewrote himself in a favorable light into history. Ambitious specialists needed to agree with the claims. One such claim was that this person was Lewis' live in, full time, private secretary for several years. This person also "discovered" many unknown Lewis literary works and revisions of existing works that were significantly lower in literary quality than the original, known Lewis literature and in some cases contained religious and ethical themes that were the exact opposite of Lewis' adamantly held views.

In this book Kathryn Lindskoog does a thorough job of investigative journalism in deflating much of the rewritten history and "new" Lewis works with documentary evidence and eye witness accounts. This book reads much like a Chapman Pincher espionage expose. This book attracted much attention, and further eye witness accounts and leads to more documentary evidence and was followed by a second book, "Light in the Shadow Lands," five years later.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book! Strong words which needed to be said., June 29, 2000

By 

David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Hoax (Hardcover)

All true lovers of the writings and person of C.S. Lewis, and all academics interested in Lewis from a literary standpoint will benefit greatly from this book.

Lindskoog pins down, through incredible academic detective work, what many of us suspected for some time, but were unable to voice or prove, namely, that Lewis's "literary executors" have tried (and in many cases succeeded) in pulling the wool over our eyes!

Lindskoog has demonstrated that many of the quaint little stories about bonfires, lost manuscripts, personal secretaries, etc. have, in many cases, been outright fabrications foisted on an unsuspecting public. It's a shame that in the confusion following Lewis's death, a better executor could not have been found; perhaps, if this had been the case, much trouble would have been averted.

Well, it's all water under the bridge now. The truth is out there, and real Lewis scholars know what it is. Dr. Hooper and his cronies have been thoroughly discredited. Now if only he would quit writing introductions. . .

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for those who thought they understood C.S. Lewis, January 5, 2008

By 

GangstaLawya (TimBuckToo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Hoax (Hardcover)

Ms. Lindskood's book is quite insightful. It causes one to revaluate statements attributed to C.S. Lewis by those, like Walter Hooper, who have capitalized handsomely off Lewisania. For example, "The Dark Tower" allegedly written by Lewis is most likely not Lewis' work and is, at worse, another fraud perpetrated by Walter Hooper (pp. 34-37). Lindskood points out that Walter Hooper was a devout Christian (p. 117). However, I disagree. Even Ms. Lindskood notes the liberty Hooper took by defaming C. S. Lewis and his brother Warren Lewis in the book "They Stand Together" (Chapter 8). Hooper depicts Warren Lewis as a hopeless alcoholic and implies a homosexual relationship between C. S. Lewis and Arthur Greeves. What one easily infers from the evidence is that Walter Hooper was an opportunist. He claims to have been Secretary to C. S. Lewis even though no one knew about it. Warren Lewis, Lewis' brother, was quite irritated by Walter Hooper coming over from the United States and making all sorts of claims such as this. Hooper claims to quote letters and such from Lewis but has never produced the originals. It seems he makes stuff up in any biographical reference he makes about Lewis. Most noteworthy is the self serving nature of all of Hooper's quotes, such as the one relating to Lewis' alleged reference to Hooper as the son he never had. Hooper is definitely a C. S. Lewis enthusiast; however, it is tainted with jealousy and mischief. For example, profiting from Lewis, making stuff up about him and defaming Lewis and his brother all causes one to hearken to this. Hooper was very persistent in pushing himself into Lewis affairs which Warren Lewis himself points out. It reminds me of Howard K Stern imposing himself, to the point of being a nuisance, into Anna Nicole Smith's life. It also reminds me of Hank Hanegraaff suddenly appearing as director of the late Walter R Martin's Christian Research Institute and attributing statements to Walter Martin after Walter Martin's death. It reminds me of the false accusations of Pietro Aretino against Michelangelo, accusing him of being a homosexual when Michelangelo would not let Aretino take his artwork. Beware of your admirers. If you have any talent, your worse enemies will be those most flattered by you. Any defamation of your sexual morality or sobriety will most likely reflect the character of the jealous weirdo who wants to be part of your world. It is noteworthy that none of the attention talented people have given to their most zealous admirers has benefited them, but has in fact hurt them and has even damaged or tarnished any legacy they have left. I suppose the talented party pays less critical attention to their admirers, not realizing that they have a devil in their midst because they are less moved to view critically the appreciator of their talent. Chances are, some fans are nothing more than stalkers: I fail to see the difference between a Robert Bardo and a Walter Hooper. A stalker wants what you have and they hate you for having it. This seems to be the case with Walter Hooper.