C. S. Lewis: Images of His World [Hardcover]

Douglas R. Gilbert (Author), Clyde S. Kilby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2005

This reissue of a treasured classic offers a beautiful window into the people and places that shaped the life of beloved author, scholar, and apologist C. S. Lewis. In photographs and text (much of it in Lewiss own words), Douglas Gilbert and Clyde S. Kilby introduce us to such memorable friends as J. R. R. Tolkien and transport us to such magical places as the deer park outside Lewiss rooms at Magdalen College, Oxford. We also meet Lewis as a talented and brilliant child in Belfast, captivated by the myths and legends of the North, already writing and illustrating imaginative stories and poems at a young age. While the book includes an essay tracing Lewiss struggle to find faith and a chronology of his life, it is not a biography per se but rather a personal introduction, a composite portrait of a fascinating individual and the world in which he lived. Attractively laid out in a fresh new format, this volume will be prized both by longtime fans of Lewis and by those encountering him for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This classic 1973 book, re-issued to coincide with Hollywood's attention to C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, offers readers a "personal introduction" to Lewis through photo and text. Kilby, an English professor who died in 1986, was a friend of Lewis's, and strikes an admiring tone in an opening essay on the great writer's spiritual evolution from atheist to Christian. Then Lewis's early life is presented in the usual sepia manner: we see the expected photos from his boyhood in Belfast, but we also glimpse facsimiles of some of the child prodigy's illustrated stories about "Animal-Land." That approach is followed in the rest of the book as well, which is not a simple photo-biography so much as a generous homage to the places Lewis lived and loved. Gilbert's photos-of Magdalen Tower in Oxford, of the pub where the Inklings read their work aloud, of beloved landscapes in England, Ireland, and Scotland-blend with historical images of Lewis and his companions. Although some of Gilbert's own photos of people and urban scenes seem dated, the landscapes are timeless and gorgeous. The book closes with a helpful chronology of Lewis's life.
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About the Author

Douglas Gilbert is a professional photographer whose work has been exhibited internationally. Now residing in Massachusetts, he is a former staff member of "Look" magazine and former assistant professor of photography at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.

Clyde S. Kilby (1902–1986) was a personal friend of C. S. Lewis and wrote numerous books, reviews, and articles about him. He served for many years as professor of English and curator of the Marion E. Wade Center, a research collection devoted to the works of C. S. Lewis and his friends, at Wheaton College

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802828000
• ISBN-13: 978-0802828002
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully descriptive book, March 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: C.S. Lewis: Images of His World (Hardcover)

It is most unfortunate that this superb book has gone out of print. It is a pictorial tour of the places and people familiar to C.S. Lewis. Next to each picture or illustration is a caption explaining the relation to Lewis, with most of the country scenes having vivid, picturesque quotes from Lewis himself. This book can be read in one sitting or slowly digested over several days. If you ever find a copy, hang on to it. It's a lovely book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revised images from C.S. Lewis's World, May 28, 2006

By 

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C. S. Lewis: Images of His World (Hardcover)

This reissue of the out of print C.S. Lewis: Images of His World puts together a fine collection of photos depicting the places Lewis lived and visited as well as the people he knew. It does a good job of filling in the imagination for the reader of C.S. Lewis. The photos are accompanied by subtexts explaining each picture's content and in many cases they are accompanied by a quotation from one of Lewis's works. An introduction, chronology of Lewis's life, and brief biographical sketch complete the work.

Although this is a reissue of the original book that came out in 1973, there has been a major overhaul to the layout, yielding both positive and negative results. First, the new edition is slightly smaller in size. Second, the orientation has been changed: the original book was 9 inches high and 11 inches wide, whereas the new book is just the opposite orientation of 10 1/2 inches high and 8 inches wide; (imagine a regular magazine and you have the layout for the new edition; turn the magazine on its side and put the binding on the left and you have the layout of the old edition.) These changes unfortunately have resulted in some photos that were formerly seen in their entirety on one page now being split over two pages. Result: artistically inferior.

The third change, is that the order of the photos has undergone a major reshuffling, as has the texts that accompany them. Most of the material in the first book still appears in the second, but the order is different. (A couple of C.S. Lewis drawings in letters to Owen Barfield that appeared in the first edition of this book have been dropped from the new edition.)

The fourth change is quite positive. It is amazing to see what a difference a mere three decades can make in photo reproductive technology. The book has a mixture of black & white and color photos, and while the black & white photos don't change much between the first and second edition of this book, the color photos are FAR better in the new edition. The subjects depicted have had their color restored and no longer appear to be so drab: one is reminded of what the Sistine Chapel looked like before and after the late 20th century restoration. Photos of such things as Tintern Abbey or Beaumaris Castle are brought to life by the new technology and are much more pleasing to the eye.

To sum, many overall changes have been made to the quality of the photos as well as the layout of their presentation. I think the net effect is zero: two steps forward and two steps backwards. It's a pity, really, because the old layout could have been kept while using new photo reproductive technology to enhance the photos. Oh well, the bottom line is that if you don't have a copy of this book, by all means buy it - you'll be pleased with the purchase. If you have the original book, you still might want to purchase the new edition as many of the photos have been vividly enhanced. (Conversely, if you have the new edition and run across a copy of the old, this, too, is worth obtaining for the better layout of some of the photos.)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A journey into the shadowlands, December 23, 2002

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C.S.Lewis: Images of His World (Paperback)

If you love C.S. Lewis as much as I do, then you will find this book captivating, transporting you into the world of Jack as a boy and as a man, as a pagan and as a Christian. Hopefully it will be back in print soon. Every page is lavishly illustrated with photos and artwork of people and places that were dear to Lewis. What makes it even more special are the descriptions of each place or person by lewis himself, taken from his letters and books. IT is the best gift a Lewis fan could receive, too, so look for a friend!