C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia, The (Hardcover)

~ Jeffrey D. Schultz (Author), Jr., John West (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up-This reader's companion offers critique of and explanations for Lewis's books, essays, poems, and even the book reviews he penned. Also included are entries for themes and ideas that appear in his works, as well as biographical entries for his family, friends, and colleagues. The content is wide-ranging, but the topic coverage is often uneven, with pages devoted to some, while others receive a few sentences. Thus, readers looking for a critique of a particular poem might be disappointed. A short biography at the front of the book draws from Lewis's own diaries and letters but is cursory in its comments on his personal feelings. Students may find some of the articles on different themes in Lewis's work useful. However, when so many other critical texts are available, such as Evan Gibson's C. S. Lewis, Spinner of Tales (Christian University Press, 1980) and Walter Hooper's C. S. Lewis-Companion & Guide (Harper, 1996), this book is an additional purchase rather than a substitution for them.
Carol Fazioli, The Brearley School, New York City, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The centennial of C.S. Lewis's birth is upon us, and it is not surprising that a slew of publications mark this milestone, as his popularity continues unabated. In fact, more than 1.5 million copies of his works are sold annually. Lewis (1898-1963) was a professor of English at Oxford and Cambridge, and he made significant contributions in that subject. A Christian apologist who used popular essays and literature to justify belief in Christianity and clarify the elements of belief, he is best known for his children's books (especially the Chronicles of Narnia, begun in 1950 with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and his space trilogy, as well as from the recent movie Shadowlands, which portrays his relationship with Joy Davidman, whom he married and soon lost to cancer. The C.S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia contains more information about Lewis?than most of us would want to know?good news in the case of all cult figures, for there are those who want to know everything. Major entries on Lewis's chief works, relatives, and acquaintances and lesser entries on almost everything else associated with Lewis?every letter to the editor, every poem, receives its own entry?are arranged alphabetically. All but the briefest articles include a bibliography. Also included are a brief biography; an appendix listing Lewis resources, including web pages, bookstores, centers, and the like; and a chronology of his life. With a perspective influenced by their experience in political science, editors Schultz (coeditor of The Encyclopedia of the Republican Party/The Encyclopedia of the Democratic Party, LJ 11/1/96) and West (The Politics of Revelation and Reason, Univ. Pr. of Kansas, 1996) present articles on those who influenced Lewis (e.g., Aristotle and Aquinas) and on his ideas (e.g., "Friendship," "Prayer," and "Natural Law"). This welcome approach helps to elucidate his thought. This is sure to become an essential reference for students of Lewis's works. The Pilgrim's Guide, concerned specifically with Lewis's Christian beliefs, collects 17 articles by authors who are all committed Christians of a conservative bent. They make no bones about their faith and for the most part agree with Lewis on certain moral issues such as abortion and homosexuality. Some of the essays examine the origins of his thought, others look at his method of apologetics, and still others consider his critique of contemporary Christianity. While this book discusses his children's literature and his space trilogy, it does so in terms of the theology behind them. A fine bibliographical essay by Diana Pavlac Glyer on books and other resources, as well as a Lewis time line, complement the essays. Those who agree with Lewis, and serious students, will find much to like in this collection. In C.S. Lewis: Memories and Reflections, Lawlor (English, emeritus, Univ. of Keele, Great Britain) offers insights into Lewis's personality and little-known details about already-known incidents through this memoir of his friendship with Lewis. (He was Lewis's student, friend, and professional colleague.) Enhanced by the inclusion of previously unpublished correspondence and a previously unpublished photo of Lewis just returned from World War II, this work provides a weighty assessment of Lewis's scholarship and, like the others, defends Lewis from his critics?in this case the literary critics. This makes a welcome addition to Lewis biography. Also for the serious reader, Branches to Heaven looks at Lewis's work for the purpose of examining the inner man and finds an unsettled convert. Como (editor of C.S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table and Other Reminiscences, Harvest: Harcourt, 1992) quotes extensively from the few sermons extant. Like Lawlor, he adds interesting tidbits to the Lewis biography and defends him from his critics. Como generally reexamines Lewis's writing and his life from the perspective of rhetoric and in doing so adds some good insights into Lewis the man.?Augustine J. Curley, O.S.B., Newark Abbey, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310215382
• ISBN-13: 978-0310215387
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #731,718 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Lewis Abecedarium, August 7, 2001

By	E. T. Veal (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

C. S. Lewis would doubtless have scoffed at the idea of a reference book about himself, just as he disapproved of university courses devoted to modern authors on the sensible ground that "helps" to reading them are not needed and come between the writer and his audience.

Nonetheless, students and "fans" of the great Christian apologist and literary scholar now are offered two thick compendia on his life and work. Each has its virtues and faults, and both are worthwhile investments - though not a substitute for the straight, unfiltered Lewis.

The "Readers' Encyclopedia", reviewed here, contains articles by 44 contributors, many of them very prominent in the world of C. S. Lewis studies. The one striking absentee is Walter Hooper, Lewis' semi-official literary executor and solo author of the rival work, "C. S. Lewis: Companion and Guide". This omission is, as the saying goes, not accidental.

In more than 400 pages, consisting of a 57-page biography followed by topical entries, the Encyclopedia covers the full scope of Lewis' life, work and thought. The "work" draws the greatest attention. There are articles not only on the major books but also on virtually all of Lewis' shorter pieces, including even letters to newspapers. In addition to summarizing content, most of the contributors consider its significance, respond to the views of critics or advance criticisms of their own. They may admire their subject, but this volume is not the production of a fan club.

Weighing the Encyclopedia against the Companion, the latter is heavier (almost twice as many pages), but the former is wider in scope, with more attention to CSL's career as a scholar and more systematic coverage of his entire body of work. It makes room by treating topics more succinctly. Epitomes are shorter, there is less biographical detail, and quotations from the Lewis canon are less extensive. Unfortunately, one space saving idea was the omission of an index, the need for which is distinctly not obviated by putting articles into alphabetical order.

Often both works are excellent, though many times in different ways. The Companion's life of CSL's close friend Owen Barfield tells much about the man but is rather imprecise on his ideas and how they influenced Lewis. The Encyclopedia's fine article fills those gaps.

Elsewhere the Encyclopedia is clearly superior. The Companion's discussions of "An Experiment in Criticism" and "The Personal Heresy" leave out the context in which Lewis developed his critical theories. The Encyclopedia gives him a place in the debates occasioned by the "New Criticism".

The Companion has its innings, too. Its introductory biography is fuller and less given to unsupported psychological speculations. The Encyclopedia writer, curiously, accepts the conjectures of the anti-Christian polemicist A. N. Wilson on major issues (e. g., Lewis's relationship with Mrs. Moore and the impact of his debate with Professor Anscombe), even while pointing out that Wilson in unreliable in detail and malicious in intent.

There are spots, inevitably, where both volumes are weak. Neither describes the substance of Professor G. E. M. Anscombe's famous critique of Chapter III of "Miracles" or how Lewis amended the text to answer her criticisms. Those matters are surely of more lasting import than whether Lewis did or did not feel "defeated" after debating Anscombe.

They can also fail in different ways on the same topic. The Encyclopedia's article on "The Dark Tower", the now controversial novel fragment published after Lewis's death, is a one-sided diatribe on behalf of the theory that the work is a forgery. The Companion naturally does not allude to that allegation (as Walter Hooper is the accused forger), and it also says virtually nothing useful about the story. In fact, the uninspired plot summary is marked by omissions and mistakes. (The writer does not realize, for instance, that "Michael" is the given name of the protagonist, not of his Othertime double.)

Finally, each volume has its (very small) share of this-can't-be-real lapses. An Encyclopedia article begins, "C. S. Lewis followed traditional theological thinking of his time in presuming the Holy Spirit was the third person of the Trinity." What a ripe example of the liberal historicizing that CSL so persistently combated! But it is probably a more serious matter that the Companion barely notices "The Allegory of Love", Lewis's pioneering work on medieval love poetry that laid the foundation of his academic reputation.

But let me pause here. It is easy - and an occasion of intellectual sin - to scrutinize every inch of a mighty edifice in search of blemishes. Overall, the Encyclopedia is a capacious and well-wrought work. It may not be a work that C. S. Lewis would have desired anyone to undertake, but I do not think that he can be displeased with the quality of the result.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best single volume Lewis reference, November 2, 2000

By	Sven Allenbach-Schmidt (Greenbelt, MD USA) - See all my reviews

If you can have only one reference work on Jack Lewis, this is the one to have. This volume is well edited, well written, and complete. You can find allmost as much about some of Lewis' obscure essays as about the Chronicles of Narnia and the Screwtape Letters. Most of the entries include suggestions for further reading. There is also short but reasonably complete biography included, written by John Bremer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Bargin! C.S. Lewis Fans Will Love It!, April 14, 2004

By	K.H. - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is simply a great "readers' encyclopedia" for the C.S. Lewis reader. All of his material is dealt with; but this book is so worth the low price because it goes beyond the usual commentary about what influenced Lewis with this book or that poem. Instead, the editors took pains to ensure that the C.S. Lewis fan would see how, whether negatively or positively, other people and ideas affected his writings, lectures, thoughts, and positions.

We read how Sigmund Freud, Thomas Aquinas, G.E.M. Anscombe, William Shakespeare, Hume, and of course J.R.R. Tolkien played into his thoughts and discussions. Further, how he viewed such ideas as evolution, capital punishment, democracy, and tradition are also discussed. The list goes on and on. This book is also a steel - economically speaking. There are not many hardbound books of this quality going for such an inexpensive price.

This book is just a wealth of information and a joy for any C.S. Lewis fan.