Letters of C. S. Lewis

The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis #1

by C.S. Lewis

A repackaged edition of the revered author’s collection of personal letters—a curated selection of the best of his correspondence with family, friends, and fans—and a short biography by his brother Warren Lewis.

Letters of C. S. Lewis reveals the most intimate beliefs of the great British writer, scholar, lay theologian, broadcaster, Christian apologist, and bestselling author of Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many other beloved classics. Written to friends, family, and fans at various stages in his life, from his youth to the weeks before his death, these letters illuminate Lewis’s thoughts on God, humanity, nature, and creativity. In this captivating collection, devotees will discover details about Lewis’s conversion from atheism to Christianity as well as his philosophical thoughts on spirituality and personal faith.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Biography, Religion, Christianity, Memoir, Classics

688 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and great way to know better the man behind the legend which was C. S. Lewis..
For me a very special book, much loved and esteemed!!
This letters gives an overview of Lewis life, and unveils the thoughts and motivation that spurn him in his writing and decisions making..

Never dull or boring, but always this letters are saturated with the wit, logic and humor that we know from his books so much loved by millions of readers trough out all the world!!
Lewis Letters directed to individuals are so well written as his bestsellers books..

The right book to the right time, during my readings I've been raptured into C. S. Lewis world.
My full recommendation to all of you who wants to know Lewis better, and a very good introduction to his literary work!!

The memoir of C. S. Lewis by his brother Warren is uniquely superb...
Indeed a full blown five stars book..
Full recommendation to all lovers of Lewis books.
After reading his letters I had the impression of knowing Lewis all my life!!
Read it for yourself and expect to be enchanted and raptured..

Happy reading
Dean;D

[Landa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a short read. It was okay.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside of letters from family and friends, I can't think of anyone whose letters I'd rather read.
It's remarkable how well C.S. Lewis wrote, even when he thought he was writing to an audience of one, even when painstakingly corresponding with people he'd never met, who only knew him through his books.
This book is a selection of letters beginning when Lewis was a very young man until just weeks before his death. (He died on the same day as President John F. Kennedy and Aldous Huxley.)
The letters written after his conversion to Christianity are more interesting, but it's all good stuff. In particular, the letters the young Lewis wrote to his brother chronicling his walking tours comprise some of the best travel writing I've read.
From somewhat later in his life, one of my favorite letters, although it's atypical, shows Lewis in a curmudgeonly, pessimistic mood, almost as if channeling his own character, Puddleglum.
The letter, written to his friend Owen Barfield, includes these phrases:
"No doubt I shall be defeated in the controversy."
"Bring it along by all means, but don't pitch your hopes too high. We are both getting so rusty that we shall make very little of it ..."
"Those maps are so unreliable by now that it is rather a farce."
"Of course hardly any districts in England are unspoiled enough to make walking worthwhile."
"I have very little doubt it will be a ghastly failure."
"I haven't seen C.W.'s play; it is not like to be at all good."
"... whichever you choose something will doubtless prevent it. I hear the income-tax is going up again. The weather is bad and looks like getting worse."
And toward the end of all that, he slips this in:
"Nearly everyone has been ill here: I try to prevent them all croaking and grumbling but it is hard being the only optimist."
I suspect all of that was written with tongue in cheek.
Here's one more excerpt, in a 1954 letter to a Mrs. Vera Gebbert:
"Would you believe it: an American school girl has been expelled from her school for having in her possession a copy of my Screwtape. I asked my informant whether it was a Communist school, or a Fundamentalist school, or an RC school, and got the shattering answer, 'No, it was a select school.' That puts a chap in his place, doesn't it?"
Note: Most recently read in April/May 2020

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The letters are arranged chronologically, and I liked getting to see Lewis's voice change gradually over time. He's much more flippant, intolerant, and anxious in his early years, and by his late 30s / early 40s he has the mellow, confident, perceptive voice most readers are familiar with.

Some of the references might be confusing to readers unfamiliar with Oxford culture. There's mention of dons, the High, subfusc, the Cherwell, etc. At the same time, there's many literary references to authors and ideas Lewis is reading about, much of which went over my head. Biographers have said this, but it's always worth remembering just how much Lewis read in childhood and teenage years -- so many classics and in multiple languages.

Advertisers note this book contains a small "memoir" by Warnie, really just a 30 page biographical sketch at the front. This essay felt familiar, and I could sense many biographers have probably pulled directly from Warnie's comments on Lewis here. Particularly I enjoyed Warnie's focus on Lewis as a person -- his character, habits, personality, temperament -- rather than Lewis as a scholar or writer.

I assume there's some overlap between this and All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C. S. Lewis, 1922-1927.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A serendipitous encounter: I didn't mean to read this, and then I happened on one letter and then I couldn't stop for three days.

It is something to see the whole sweep of a life, and I was surprised at how much dramatic tension there was throughout—what happens next? and how does it come about? Lewis writes well even when it doesn't matter much; he gives good advice; he made me laugh out loud several times. I'll be happy to circle around to this again someday.

[Thadeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What great insight into the thoughts and life of a great writer and thinker. This was a great book to read a little at a time.

The insights gained from the things Lewis wrote about and how he wrote about them are a treasury to me. I am thankful for those who worked to bring together this volume.

Highly recommended.

[Matthew Cazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, smart, caring, and Lewis is wholly unimpressed with himself. A gem!

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Lots of insights to ingest.

Interesting to see some of his conversion arc in his letters. Although hardly no mention regarding the period of conversion itself.

[Diana Maryon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost by definition, the private letters of an honest person (which even before his conversion Lewis certainly was) are at least as rich a source of information and insight as any diary. It was on this basis that my late husband and I bought and eagerly studied the first attempt at a published collection of his correspondence, that of his brother W.H. Lewis. I have had the original hardback edition since it was new. My copy is considerably battered with use. Much new Lewis material, epistolary and not, has been unearthed and reproduced since, but the freshness of 'Warnie's' Introduction remains unsurpassed. It explained certain features of my three letters from Lewis which are still in my possession, two of them handwritten and from Magdalene College, Cambridge, one typewritten by Major Lewis and sent from The Kilns. I was an undergraduate reading the Classical Tripos at the time, and was charged with inviting him to give a paper in College and in due course entertained him to dinner.

Of this I wrote to my parents early in 1973, “We got the Letters of C.S. Lewis some time back, and agree that it’s v. remarkable. Supplements Surprised by Joy, which really stops too long ago. Our only peeve is that Major Lewis, obviously knowing no Greek, did not resort to someone who did.” It was closely followed by Letters to an American Lady, on which my verdict was, “Talking of Lewis letters, you remember that I have three of my own? They are only business letters, of course, and one was typed by his brother; but people here find them enthralling. Showing them has begun to be part of the routine when we entertain. Some are still unaware that he is gone. His death was quite overshadowed by that other, surely less significant, death in November 1963, when we were with you at Irchester for Christmas. The sense that he is still writing is fostered by the regular appearance of unpublished stuff. Talking of which, I must send you Letters to an American Lady. Ever so useful here, because her mentality was so west-coasty. The character emerges quite clearly, although there is scarcely anything by her in the whole book. Obviously she got money out of him. My friend Nan Dunbar, the Mods. Tutor at Somerville . . . has told me that she was visited in California by someone from his executors, and found to be living in extremely comfortable circumstances!” (Quoted in fictionalised form in my spiritual autobiography O Love How Deep. Then in 1988 came the post-‘Warnie’ revised and enlarged Fontana edition which I also own and have studied with care. The current edition is what I am posting about now.

There are 675 pages including more letters and a much improved and more serviceable index compared even with the second edition. It is a tour de force of industry and care. Very many slips of presentation, including misspellings, which marred even the second edition, have been spotted and eliminated. The print is larger, hence a different layout with a greater number of pages. Its compendious nature, coupled with the index, makes it an indispensable source of Lewis’ experience and opinions even for the general reader. Particularly poignant to me are those relatively few letters sent after he was widowed in the summer of 1960, and up to and including the eve of his death. He was still writing and caring for people with all his might even so late in the day. Want to know his counsel on writing well, or writing for children? That and so much else is here, in his pellucid English, spiced with quotation and allusion in plenty of other languages living and dead.

In something so long, when the original writer was so supremely learned in his field as well as generally well-read, there will be slips. (I am sometimes surprised nowadays by the condition in which books come out even from the ancient Press of my Alma Mater.) I have not been able to identify any introduced by Walter Hooper; but some older cases have been missed even in this latest text. My dear Father (1907-1979, St. Paul’s in London, Classics & Theology at Cambridge), who started Latin at seven and Greek at 10, used to say that with a Cambridge First in Classics one could learn anything. He was wrong; but as myself a trained Latinist and Hellenist I have seen a couple of points that ideally would be smoothed away. I am in process of incorporating these into an up-to-date Errata file which I hope may be used in some subsequent printing. Once or twice my sense is that I need to see the original to be certain that Lewis did or did not write exactly that; but several of the slips, including wrong Greek, cannot be his. Please anyone who spots anything untoward add that to this thread for the edification of all of us!

[John Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

While perusing the $1 book sale table I came across the wonderful book.
I find that reading biographies and autobiographies on one individual is the best way to try and understand their true views and behavior.
Nothing can get you deeper into the mind than personal letters, sent and received. In this terrific collection of letters you will see his evolution as a man and an author.
Read about his encounter with J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis' impression and thoughts about that relationship. I understand that Lewis was agnostic until he met Tolkien. Through that relationship Lewis became one of the most read authors of Christian works. He even worked on books within the Bible.
Every once in a while I'd pick up that book and read one set of letters between Lewis and his dearest friend.
Enjoy

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suspect that this wouldn't be enjoyable to anyone who isn't a "hardcore" C.S. Lewis fan. It would likely seem quite dry and uninteresting. However, I enjoyed it IMMENSELY. I find Lewis's style of writing so wonderful. I like that these selections covered basically his whole life - the first half were from before his conversion to Christianity, the latter from after. (He became a Christian around age 30, I think.) The content of the letters does change topically with this transition, but I enjoyed ALL of them.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certainly has a particular audience. For the casual Lewis reader, it's better to read works Lewis published during his lifetime. This collection of letters, at over 500 pages, will only feel like walking through high weeds. But for the avid Lewis reader, this work provides rich insight into the man himself in a way that even the best biographies cannot touch.

These are collected letters Lewis wrote to family, friends, teachers, and students spanning from 1916 (at just 17 years old) to 1963, just weeks before his death. The letters are edited and arranged chronologically, which gives a sense of Lewis' development in thought, perspective, and character over his life. Unlike a biography, we see from the inside what Lewis liked (and disliked), pondered, and loved. The answers are unsurprising to one who knows Lewis well: books (so many books), a select circle of people, and eventually God.

Most will recognize Lewis clearest in the second half of the book, after he'd become a Christian. During the tipping span in February 1930, he writes: "Terrible things are happening to me. The 'Spirit' or 'Real I' is showing an alarming tendency to become much more personal and is taking the offensive, and behaving just like God. You'd better come on Monday at the latest or I may have entered a monastery." As he deepens in faith, Lewis becomes a treasury of humble wisdom, and his shift in character is subtle but tangible. "The great thing," he writes in March, 1951, "is to stop thinking about happiness. Indeed the best thing about happiness itself is that it liberates you from thinking about happiness." Sounds like the Lewis I know and love.

The first half of the book, while less engaging, still contains insight into Lewis' background. Some letters are almost comical, given the path Lewis eventually walked. In February 1919, he writes to his father about being elected Secretary of his college literary club. He talks about recording the club minutes, adding, "so if I am forgotten as all else, at least a specimen of my handwriting will be preserved to posterity." Just a specimen. Oh the irony.

Jewels of his daily life are tucked everywhere. My particular favorite is Lewis' letter to his brother in April 1940 in which he talks extensively about how he accidentally went out with mismatched shoes and what he tried to do about it. In January 1950, he discusses a collaborative book he planned to write with Professor Tolkien, though it never materialized. What might have been.

His literary preferences, his religious conversion, his time with the Inklings, the birth of Narnia, the death of his wife Joy to cancer -- his life is all here. And while you can pull individual letters to read as a picture of his thoughts, the whole collection gives the picture of the man.

My only complaint is that the Index at the back of authors, topics, and people referenced within the letters is largely unhelpful. It's too bare to be of much use. An expanded and more specific index of subjects like Lewis' references to Christ's resurrection or his thoughts on political engagement would help connect the dots on Lewis' particular views.

As it is, the book is great for its audience. Lewis is poignant to the end, writing to fellow writer Jane Douglass in late September, just 22 days before his death: "Autumn really is the best of the seasons: and I'm not sure that old age isn't the best part of life. But of course, like Autumn, it doesn't last."

His personal letters, however, have lasted. And I'm so glad.

[Christopher Hansen]

I've had this book on my bookshelf for ages. Someday I'll get to it. Maybe. So many good books.

[Leora · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to imagine a better way to feel like you know someone, even from a bygone time, than to read their letters. Finishing C.S. Lewis’s book of letters was bittersweet, because reading it was very much like making a friend. While I wouldn’t agree with him on many points of theology, I respect him and look forward to meeting him in heaven. He was the 20th century’s greatest apologist, the writer of a most beloved series of children’s literature, quite possibly the most well-read person in the 20th century (yet somehow humble), and perhaps one of the most devoted, charitable, and long-suffering men I’ve ever read about. I found him to be a kindred spirit in many ways—his love of long walks, autumn, reading excellent literature in bed (Jane Austen was his favorite to read when he was sick), tea, and many other little things. I’ve read (and reread) many of his works, but I’m looking forward to enjoying the rest.

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose it’s mundane of me to love Lewis as much as I do. I love his thoughts on writing and literature almost as much as I love his work on theology and he’s my favorite theologian. Many of Lewis’s most helpful and most controversial thoughts are in his letters, and I can’t help but suspect that many more gems can be found in the unabridged collections.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much and will look for a bigger compilation of C. S. Lewis's letters in the future. He got into whether there is any just war, whether the Church of England should canonize saints, in addition to other church issues.

The funniest were the letter about the 80 yr old vicar in "A Village Experience" and "Correspondence with an Anglican who dislikes hymns".

[Lauren Mora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll read anything by C.S. Lewis…

[Mandalorian Jedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a bit less accessible than most of C.S. Lewis’ work. Perhaps I could have benefited from a bit more context to the letters, and maybe additional reads are in order. Regardless, there were still easily identified nuggets of wisdom held within.

[Jared Willett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful trip into the personal correspondence of Lewis. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Well curated so as to be manageable but not truncated. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Lewis.

[Maribeth Van loon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting to walk through Lewis's correspondence and see his growth from a keen but rather snarky young man to the patient, wise and godly person he became. As with all of Lewis's work, I much wisdom can be gleaned as well.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the death of his younger brother, Warren Lewis released a collection of his letters for posterity’s sake. Perhaps it was to repay a debt, as Jack spent much of his adult years trying to keep Warren from drinking himself to death. The collection is rather a selection, a sampling of Lewis’ vast correspondence that reveals his captivity by literature, his wrestling with ideas, his debates and warm exchanges with friends, . The original edition produced by Warren included his active mark as an editor, with improvements to word choice; this edition by Lewis’ secretary Walter Hooper presents the original. It also incorporates excerpts from Lewis’ diary where correspondence was slight, as well as editorial comments in brackets to provide context for particular letters.

Casual Lewis fans who are expecting something like Surprised by Joy will be in for more work than they anticipate, because the first half of this is a bit of a slog, really. It’s tremendously helpful if you’re writing a paper on Lewis and want to incorporate something like first-hand sources, but it’s lots of minutiae: Lewis talking about outings with friends, or going on and on and on about the virtues of taking this approach in school rather than that approach, and the English uni system at that time bewilders me -- it’s almost medieval, with students seeming choosing day by day if they want to go to this lecture by Dr. Waugh or that lecture by Dr. Granthum. The Great War is curiously muted, with the exception of its effect on Oxford. Even when Lewis is deployed in France, he mostly writes about books.

Lewis is most famous for his reluctant conversion to Christianity, and thereafter becoming one of the foremost defenders of Christianity in the modern age until his death in November 1963 -- a death overshadowed by another Jack the same day -- but these letter don’t reveal much about his conversion. An early Lewis comments to his friend that of course all religions are alike, just made-up stories, and a later Lewis dashes off to his friend that some metaphysical concept in his head is quickly becoming rather like God, and if something isn’t done quickly he’s going to find himself in a monastery. And then he’s a bestselling author and receiving letters asking for religious and personal advice. This familiar Lewis enters about halfway through the volume, and then religious discussion mixes with the usual literary stuff and social banter.

If one only knows Lewis as the author of beloved stories and apologia, the letters here reveal the more human one -- and a very long suffering one. He spends much of his adulthood caring for the mother of a friend who perished in the Great War (they’d promised the other that in the event of their dying, the survivor would look after the other’s parent); once she passes, he has an alcoholic brother and a cancer-stricken wife to tend to. The few years of his marriage were among his happiest, however, and a brief respite from her pain allowed them both to visit Greece. He writes to a friend that the ancient splendor had him worried he might become a pagan once more and pray to Apollo.

I for one find “Jack” to be extremely pleasant company, with the effect that I often re-read his autobiography. After clearing the hurdle of his university days, the letters here were largely engaging or amusing,, particularly his advice to young students on writing, and his eternal literary discussion with his friends.

This collection is of great interest to devoted Lewisians.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every GoodReads member should read these letters. They were a bit hard getting into, but by the end of the book, I was sorry that they ended. This inside peek into CS Lewis's life and thinking was excellent. He walked every day. He never stopped thinking about literature and ideas. Only 60-80 years ago in Britain, yet he lived in a time and context that seems very far away from ours: Fluent in English, Latin, French, and Greek, he used words that most of us never heard of. He read and praised books that very few Americans even know that they exist. I found myself adding many books to my "to read" list based on his recommendations. In addition, a bachelor until late in life, his approach to everyday morality was liberating and original.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this classic telescopic view into the inner life of C.S. Lewis. In this compilation, put together by Lewis' brother and life-long friend Warnie, after 'Jack's' death, we have the opportunity to read letters that flew back and forth between Lewis and such literary giants as J.R.R. Tolkien. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, being a prolific letter writer myself back when snail mail was in vogue; and have kept it on my favorites book shelf to refer back to time and time again. This is a gem for anyone who enjoyed C.S.Lewis' books or great literature, period.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in the first volume which are letters C.S. Lewis wrote while growing up. I find myself envious of Lewis' classic education and wishing I would have had the opportunity to read and discuss the classics in a formal setting at a young age. Lewis' wit, charm, and reasoning are definitely in evidence even as a boy and it's been fun "to watch" him grow through reading his letters home to his father and friends while away at boarding school.

[Sarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read the full collection of Lewis’ letters, but instead a short selection of letters on theology and moral issues (I didn’t expect so many on capital punishment and the justice system). I love reading Lewis, but I must admit that sometimes I find it challenging to follow his deep thoughts. I’ll keep trying though! He’s a legend!

The collection I read is simply titled “Letters” and was edited by Lesley Walmsley. Narrator: Ralph Cosham (2013).

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for collected personal letters, and Lewis is a particularly charming personal correspondent. It's fascinating to see the events of history through his eyes and to see his own point of view evolving over time. I particularly enjoyed the first volume that includes his time as a soldier in WWI

[Juliene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I know C.S. Lewis after reading this. VERY compelling. Kept me company in a dark time in my life. A dark cold winter time.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a bunch of random letters, with no thread tying them together. Lewis is a genius, so his writing is always valuable to read.

[Jon Cheek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is really good. Roughly the first half of the book consists of pre-conversion letters. This portion is boring and mundane at times. Most of these are letters to his father and brother and deal with basic events going on in his life.

The post-conversion letters make this a worthwhile read. A lot of good content on Christianity and theology, as well as writing advice and thoughts on literature. A lot of good, solid content. In many letters he warns against trusting one's emotions as an indicator of spiritual health and focuses on the necessity of obedience, regardless of any corresponding feelings. I also enjoy his positive and reverent comments on Tolkien.

Of course, Lewis also discusses some of his unbiblical views, such as his belief in purgatory and, consequently, the benefit of prayers for the dead. Also, in 1952 (during the time of writing the Narnia books), he writes a letter seeming to affirm his problematic presentation of Emeth in The Last Battle. He says, "I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know Him. For He is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow."

[Sheri Hathaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had Letters of C.S. Lewis on the go for quite some time now. I took a hard look at it and finally came to this conclusion: it's interesting to learn the man's personality and also, what British life was like in the 1920s. But... it's not a memoir with a purpose, it doesn't go anywhere, and it rambles on forever. And so, I'm relegating it to a resource book, a book I'll use for research when I write the book on my ancestors' lives who lived in those years in London before immigrating to Canada. The man is a writer after all, and didn't write those letters knowing they'd be published for the general public to read. Some are very long and no doubt interesting for the person they were written for. It's full of dry English humour which many today wouldn't understand. I only get it because I grew up with parents who used it often. It's good to have it in Kindle form to research words not used in today's lexicon, and for researching the books and the locations that he refers to. Anyway, I have a pile of books on my bedside table that are calling me and a few more on my phone that I want to get to. Time to move on.