Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis & Narnia Book: Explore the magical world of Narnia and the brilliant mind behind it (Everything (Language & Writing)) [Paperback]

Jon Kennedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008 | Series: Everything (Language & Writing)

"The Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis and Narnia" will introduce readers to C. S. Lewis as a man of great imagination, great integrity, and great intellect. This straightforward guide provides readers with an introduction to the master storyteller, his life and times, and the world of Narnia."The Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis and Narnia" is a valuable companion to the "Narnia" series, with an in-depth look at the following: Lewis' early years and the loss of his mother; his time at boarding school and Oxford' early works; his journey to Christianity; the fantasy world of Narnia; and, finding, and losing, the love of his life.Lewis buffs will find that "The Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis and Narnia" is essential to understanding the man, the people of his life, his motivations and worldview.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jon Kennedy is a veteran writer and theologian who spent more than 15 years as a campus minister at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Stanford University. Lee Oser, Ph.D. has taught literature at Yale, Connecticut College, Millikin University, and the College of the Holy Cross, where he is an Associate Professor of English.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598694278
• ISBN-13: 978-1598694277
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,344,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon Kennedy was born and raised in the coalfields of Western Pennsylvania where he became the third editor of his hometown newspaper, the Nanty Glo, Pa. Journal, at age 20. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (while working as an editor of the Chrisian Beacon) in Philadelphia; Shelton College in New Jersey, and took his master of arts in mass communication from the University of California, Los Angeles. He did his thesis at UCLA on the journalism of Dutch minister and political leader Abraham Kuyper, which was subsequently published as The Reformation of Journalism. After completing graduate studies he became a campus minister at Stanford University (1972-1983) where he edited several monthly magazines (New Reformation, Renaissance Review) and taught credit seminars within a Stanford external studies program. Recent books include The Everything Jesus Book and The Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis and Narnia. A convert in 1994 to Eastern Orthodoxy, he is currently working on books on sainthood and on developing a Christian worldview.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Guide to C. S. Lewis and Narnia, February 7, 2009

By 

Telford Hill "Jack Hill" (Landenberg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everything Guide to C.S. Lewis & Narnia Book: Explore the magical world of Narnia and the brilliant mind behind it (Everything (Language & Writing)) (Paperback)

The Everything Guide to C. S. Lewis and Narnia is a refreshing and readable book dealing with the life of C. S. Lewis and his creation of the world of Narnia. My feeling is that you cannot understand the writings of peoples and persons without understanding their backgrounds or personalities. Reading this book sheds a whole new light not only on the person of Lewis and of Narnia, but all of Lewis's writings since the first part of the book is a biographical sketch of Lewis. This biographical sketch is created from many sources, not depending on any one source. After reading Jon's book, I felt compelled to go back and re-read some of the Narnia tales and catch the subtleties that were imbedded in these tales. With Disney's release of the tale of the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, we may fail to see to see there is more to Narnia than this tale. In particular I was mesmerized by how the plot in The Magicians Nephew reflected events in Lewis's life, items I had not realized until reading this book. I was also led to go back and look at Lewis's Mere Christianity. My re-reading of Mere Christianity literately transported me back to another era where I could imagine listening to these short talks on the radio, a feature I had not realized until reading Jon's book.
Another great feature of the book is the use of what I refer to as "factoid" boxes that define and provide additional information along with questions that can lead to more study and deeper understanding. These boxes contribute much to the understanding of the culture and the environment of C. S. Lewis.
If you are a fan of C. S. Lewis, I hope you come away with the same need to go back and look at this great writer's works, if this is your first foray into Lewis, I cannot recommend it enough.