They Stand Together [Hardcover]

C. S. Lewis (Author), Walter Hooper (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Distribution Services (April 30, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002158280
• ISBN-13: 978-0002158282
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,205,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), known as Jack to his friends, was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. Lewis and his good friend J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, were part of the Inklings, an informal writers' club that met at a local pub to discuss story ideas. Lewis's fascination with fairy tales, myths, and ancient legends, coupled with inspiration drawn from his childhood, led him to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the best-loved books of all time. Six further books followed to become the immensely popular The Chronicles of Narnia. The final title in the series, The Last Battle, won the Carnegie Medal, one of the highest marks of excellence in children's literature. His other distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting letters but poorly edited, April 16, 2001

By 

Cheryl Dunlop (TN, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: They Stand Together: The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves (1914-1963) (Hardcover)

I looked for this book for quite a while before I finally got a library copy. I read it all, but was glad I hadn't actually bought it. (Note that I own more than 20 books by Lewis, including Letters and Letters to Children, and have read about 30 of his books; so one could safely say I am a fan.)

The book's idea is very interesting--letters from a man who wrote good letters, written to his lifelong best friend. Since Lewis greatly valued friendship (as I do), I wanted to see what he said. But the introduction was disappointing: Hooper spends pages telling Lewis's brother's faults in detail to the world, and only God knows whether he has done so honestly. It was also disappointing that Hooper chose to "scientifically restore" passages in the letters that talk about the correspondents' youthful indiscretions, passages that Greeves had carefully crossed out. In other words, the book fails to appropriately respect either Lewis's friendship or his loyalty to his brother--tabloid editing even if the restorations are accurate.

But the letters themselves are interesting and tell Lewis's story from a different angle than his other books. I'd say it's worth 3 1/2 stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining and valuable correspondence, May 14, 1998

By 

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

This review is from: They Stand Together: The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves (1914-1963) (Hardcover)

This book is a finely edited collection of letters from C.S. Lewis to one of his closest friends, Arthur Greeves. Besides the usual day to day chat, Lewis lets Arthur in on the three things he thinks should go into a letter: a person's readings, thinkings, and doings. Not only was this correspondence fun to read, but several specimens are as good as anything I've read in the way of sage advice to aspiring writers. Lewis's letters are candid, often whimsical and full of good humor, and entertaining in giving insightful commentary on the books he read. Walter Hooper has done a fine job of editing the correspondence and I strongly recommend obtaining a copy of the book if you can get hold of one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have book publishers gone mad?, May 5, 2004

By 

D. G. DeVore (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Stand Together: The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves (1914-1963) (Hardcover)

Why this collection of letters is not in print is a mystery. The writer whose letters this contains (C.S. Lewis)has sold books by now in excess of (estimated) two hundred million copies. And this is a collection of his writings,in this case to a boyhood friend, Arthur Greeves, from the time he was 17 until a couple of months before his death. Like reading C.S. Lewis? Like to know more about his life? This is the ultimate first hand account. Granted, most of the letters are before 1945 and most recount his own own academic and literary interests, and so will be of special interest to those of similar mind; still it is his letters to his lifelong friend that contain autobiographical details one can find in print nowhere else. Read lots of Lewis and want to read more? His letters -- the total number exceeding by one estimate "War and Peace" -- are the place to turn. If you love reading the man, this volume is indispensible. He never shared so much with anyone else in print.