The World's Last Night: And Other Essays [Paperback]

C.S. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Book | Publication Date: November 4, 2002

In seven witty, lucid, tough-minded essays, Lewis considers questions that challenge the faith of modern Christians. He discusses such topics as the efficacy of prayer, the various uses of the phrase “I believe,” the religious implications of life on other planets, the meaning of words like “culture” and “religion,” and the idea of the Second Coming.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) gained international renown for an impressive array of beloved works both popular and scholarly: literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and numerous books on theology. Among his most celebrated achievements are Out of the Silent Planet, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, and Surprised by Joy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156027712
• ISBN-13: 978-0156027717
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,990 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

109 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Collection but not the Best, September 18, 2001

By 

Bowen Simmons (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World's Last Night: And Other Essays (Paperback)

Lewis's shorter works were generally originally composed as speeches or as articles for periodicals. Various sets of them were collected and published in book form both during his life and after his death. Trying to determine what works are in what collections is difficult - most works appear in more than one collection, some works appear under more than one title, and some collections appear under more than one title.

To aid readers, in this review I've listed the works in this collection, with notes indicating other collections they have appeared in. Where a work has appeared under more than one title, I give both titles separated by a slash.

Table of Contents:

"The Efficacy of Prayer" (1), (2)

"On Obstinacy in Belief" (2), (3), (4)

"Lilies that Fester" (2), (3), (5)

"Screwtape Proposes a Toast" (2), (4), (6)

"Good Work and Good Works" (2), (4)

"Religion and Rocketry" / "Will We Lose God in Outer Space" (1), (2)

"The World's Last Night" / "Christian Hope - Its Meaning for Today" (1), (2)

Notes:

(1) also published in "Fern-Seed and Elephants and Other Essays"

(2) also published in "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces"

(3) also published in "They Asked for a Paper"

(4) also published in "Screwtape Proposes a Toast and Other Pieces"

(5) also published in "Christian Reunion and Other Essays"

(6) also published in "The Screwtape Letters" / "The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast"

Recommendations:

If you are interested in Lewis's shorter works, my best advice is to get "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", which, as of the time of this writing, is available from Amazon UK but not Amazon US. That collection consists of about 130 short works by Lewis. The works in that collection are mostly, but not exclusively, Christian.

If your interest in Lewis's shorter works is restricted to those on Christianity, and your budget or enthusiasm does not run to "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", then my second-best advice is to get any or all of the following (they don't overlap significantly, and between them they include most of Lewis's shorter Christian writings):

"God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics"*

"The World's Last Night and Other Essays"

"Christian Reflections"

"The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses"

* Be careful - there is a UK Fontana paperback lurking about called "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology" that is substantially shorter than the "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" collection. A full version of "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" was published in the UK under the title "Undeceptions - Essays on Theology and Ethics".

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seven finely crafted essays, June 18, 1998

By 

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

This review is from: The World's Last Night: And Other Essays (Paperback)

This book is a collection of various essays that C.S. Lewis authored and published a few years before his death. The titles are "The Efficacy of Prayer" (that discusses what practical, if any, effect our prayers have), "On Obstinacy in Belief" (exploring the reasons why people cling to a particular world view), "Lilies that Fester"("Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds," a talk about those whose concern is with a superficial desire to "be cultured" versus those who really care about the things that comprise culture), "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" (a short sequel to his book The Screwtape Letters), "Good Work and Good Works" (describing the difference between quality workmanship and Christian charity), "Religion and Rocketry" (discussing the truth of religion in a world where advancing technology allows humans to visit other worlds), and "The World's Last Night"(about the second coming of Christ). The essays are full of the usual vintage Lewis: shrewd, humorous, wise, and clear. In brief, they make for a fine reading time.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why I Like Lewis, August 5, 2000

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World's Last Night: And Other Essays (Paperback)

The World's Last Night is an education smushed into a neat, tiny, little package. Whenever I read Lewis, I am struck by his intense clarity of thought. This book is no different. Lewis is at his brightest and most lucid in these pages.

A variety of topics-from the effectiveness of prayer, to the end of the world-are covered in the pages of The World's Last Night. Each essay (and the story) is brilliant in its own way.

Lewis is one of my favorite writers. I have come to believe that I like him so much not because of his clarity or depth of thought-which are good reasons for liking him-or even because we share a distaste for modernism and all that it has done to cloud modern thought, but I believe what I appreciate most about Lewis is his sense of humor. Lewis' humor is on display in every one of these very diverse pieces. Even when I disagree with Lewis, his humor humanizes him, and I cannot hold anything against him. Contemporary authors could take a lesson from this.

Buy this book. It is worth reading and rereading. If nothing else, the humor will lift your spirits.