C S Lewis Centenary Group
Number 18: November 1998
Monthly from the C S Lewis Centenary Group
11 Raglan Road, Bangor, Co Down BT20 3TL, Northern Ireland.
Web site: http://www.d-n-a.net/users/cslewis/
E-mail: cslewis@dnet.co.uk (editorial) and coiace@iol.ie (subscriptions)
The great Christian writer, C S Lewis, was born in Belfast on 29th November 1898. The C S Lewis Centenary Group formed in 1994, so that Lewis’s native land might suitably celebrate his Centenary in 1998.
IN NOVEMBER
November 6th 1944, C. S. Lewis read his essay ‘Is Theology Poetry?’ at the Socratic Club
November 9th 1973, a caricature of C. S. Lewis in armour, defender of the faith, appeared on the cover of the American magazine, ‘Christianity Today’.
November 10th 1944, C. S. Lewis published the first chapter of his serial novel ‘Who Goes Home?’ in a church paper called the ‘Guardian’. It ran, chapter by chapter, until mid-April, 1945. Later it was published as a book called ‘The Great Divorce’.
November 14th 1970, Warren Lewis received a note from Blackwell’s Bookshop informing him that a book he had ordered in 1957 was now available if he still wanted it. He answered yes.
November 20th 1963, C. S. Lewis met Kaye Webb of Puffin Books. She was arranging for the first paperback edition of the Narnia Chronicles.
November 23rd 1944, an especially lively Inklings meeting was attended by the Lewis brothers, JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield and Humphrey Havard. They discussed a play by Barfield, some poetry, ghosts and the nature of hymns.
November 24th 1955, C. S. Lewis gave his talk ‘On Science Fiction’ to the Cambridge University English Club.
November 26th 1942, C. S. Lewis preached his sermon ‘Miracles’ at St Jude on the Hill Church, London.
November 29th 1898, birthday of Clive Staples Lewis.
-from 'Around the Year with C. S. Lewis and his Friends', by Kathryn Lindskoog, reprinted in the 'C. S. Lewis Journal', ed. Susan Wavre, Eagle, Guildford, 1998, by permission of Kathryn Lindskoog.
CELEBRATIONS APPROACH CLIMAX
November is the month of C. S. Lewis’s birth, and the Centenary celebrations approach a climax with the exact centenary of his birth on November 29th. Indeed, the last issue of ‘C S Lewis News’ was bloated with the details of the many events held this month throughout the world.
Already in Belfast, on Friday 6 November, over 300 people attended the unveiling by Douglas Gresham of Ross Wilson’s commemorative sculpture, entitled ‘The Searcher’. Based on C. S. Lewis’s character, Digory Kirke, the life-size ‘Searcher’ figure opens a large, Victorian wardrobe with one hand, and holds a chair in the other. A letter that C. S. Lewis wrote to a young girl, Anne Jenkins, is reproduced on the rear of the wardrobe. A mature 47-year-old lady, Anne Jenkins attended the ceremony in person.
The sculpture is the most ambitious permanent memorial to Lewis created anywhere in the world during the Lewis centenary. And Belfast’s first sculpture to commemorate an author. The cost exceeded £60,000, including site preparation.
On Saturday 7 November, Belfast’s Waterfront Hall was sold out for the world premiere of ‘Jack’, a musical ‘portrait’ based on Lewis’s life, written by Douglas Gresham and Keith Getty. The show had four female and one male solo singers, backed by the New Irish Choir and Orchestra. A theatre version tours England, Scotland and Wales during the rest of November. And the New Irish Choir and Orchestra take the concert version to Dublin in Easter 1999 (see below).
Belfast City Libraries have a programme of Centenary Events in its branches during November, with a major exhibition in Belfast Central Library. The exhibition has a letter from the Belfast-born flautist, James Galway, who now lives in Switzerland. C. S. Lewis was one of Galway’s favourite authors, but the flautist did not appreciate until recently that Lewis had been born in the same city.
THE GREAT DANCE The C. S. Lewis Centenary Information Office reports that the production of ‘The Great Dance’ (see last issue) is ‘postponed indefinitely’. The Office gives no further details.
APOLOGY David Spence reported during his visit in the summer that the Chancellor of the University of Oxford had apologised to ‘Loose in the Fire: Oxbridge ‘98’ for his University’s treatment of C. S. Lewis. Lois Westerlund writes- ‘I don't remember it as what I would call an apology, exactly. I have a somewhat vague memory of the Chancellor expressing his lasting regret that that Oxford did not recognize a good thing when they had it, and so had lost Lewis to Cambridge, who.. created a chair in his honor. I took it not so much as an apology for wrongdoing, [more] as a lasting regret.’
MAGIC On his September visit to the ‘ASPECTS’ literary festival in Ulster, Walter Hooper saw Arthur Greeves’ home ‘Silver Hill’ for the first time. C. S. Lewis visited the cottage often in the 1950s and Greeves carefully treasured his collection of Lewis’s letters. Walter Hooper found ‘Silver Hill’ more magical than he had imagined.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Mrs Kelsie Erskine, who has already given copies of several photographs of C. S. Lewis to the Group, has discovered two further small family snapshots which include the young C. S. Lewis, probably on a visit to the family holiday home at Islandmagee, Co Antrim.
We now believe that the early photo of Albert and Flora Lewis, with three of their grandparents, donated to the Group by Mrs Erskine [K2 in the list published in the October newsletter] was actually taken on ALBERT AND FLORA’S WEDDING DAY, 29 August 1894.
INSPIRATION At David Bleakley’s Lecture at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, John Gray, Librarian of the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, claimed that C. S. Lewis got the idea for ‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’ while visiting the house of John Gray’s grandfather, Professor Nicol Smith, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford. There is no Index reference to Professor Nicol Smith in ‘They Stand Together’, the collection of C. S. Lewis’s letters to Arthur Greeves.
* FORTHCOMING EVENTS
BBC TV DOCUMENTARY Producer, Moore Sinnerton. Tuesday 24th November 10.00 pm., BBC 1, Northern Ireland. Get those video recorders working!
BIRTHDAY PARTY, Southern California, Saturday 28th November. Meet informally at 7 pm at the John Bull English Pub in Pasadena. Organised by Doug Bayer.
WARDROBE, Cambridge. ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ at the ADC Theatre (the University Theatre), Park Street, Cambridge, December Tues 8-Sat 12, 7.30 pm (Sat matinee 2.30 pm). Box Office 01223 523333.
PETER KREEFT at Calvin College, Michigan, January 1999. Email address for information <hamj@calvin.edu> .
SERVICE COMMEMORATING THE CENTENARY OF LEWIS’S BAPTISM, Belfast, Sunday 31 January 1999. Most Rev Dr Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, preaches at a service commemorating the centenary of C S Lewis’s baptism in St Mark’s Church, Dundela, Holywood Road.
‘JACK’, Dublin, Easter 1998, with the New Irish Choir and Orchestra (see above).
* REPORTS
BELFAST ‘SHADOWLANDS’, 8-26 September. The Lyric Theatre’s production of ‘Shadowlands’ was both a critical and commercial success.
BLEAKLEY, 15 October. An audience of 150 heard David Bleakley's Lecture for the Belfast Society at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast .
PENNSYLVANIA WEEKEND, 16-18 October. Rodney Loewen writes from Canada ‘My parents and I just returned from a most facinating journey to Murrysville, PA, where the C.S. Lewis Weekend was held. The area around Murrysville was quite hilly and made for a good challenge with a stick shift, however the tree lined hills were an absolute joy to the eye now that it is fall and the leaves are changing to red and gold.. we heard Douglas Gresham give several talks regarding his life. Mr. Gresham also mentioned how being a Christian is not for wimps but the most demanding and challenging lifestyle there is. I checked with Will Vaus and he says that there are cassettes available of all the 8 talks that Douglas Gresham gave during the weekend. For more information regarding the cassettes you can contact Will Vaus and he will send you an order form with the details. Will Vaus, Murrysville Community Church, 3750 School Road, Murrysville, PA 15668, USA. Tel 724-327-8411, email willvaus@juno.com.’
CHRISTCHURCH Pastor Derick Bingham (see below) is the pastor of Christchurch, Belfast. The church devoted a recent Sunday evening to celebrating C. S. Lewis’s centenary, and Trans World Radio broadcast the service throughout Europe. David Bleakley, Ross Wilson and Keith Getty gave their perspectives.
‘C. S. LEWIS-ULSTERMAN’. Forty people attended James O’Fee’s talk at the Ulster Museum, Belfast, on Monday 8 November, and, in foul weather, twelve attended the same talk at Holywood Arches Library, Belfast, on Monday 2 November.
* RESEARCH
C. S. LEWIS AND DUBLIN
Professor Terence Brown, the current Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, was unaware that Lewis had spoken at TCD. Rev Perry Bramlett documents the visit in his book ‘Touring C. S. Lewis’s Ireland and England’ and Dr Cleaver Keenan contributes these personal memories. Dr Keenan, a retired medical missionary living in Ontario, Canada, had this letter published in ‘THE LEWIS LEGACY’ on his ‘Memories of C. S. Lewis and J. B. Phillips’-
‘Way back in the early fifties when I was a medical student in T.C.D. (Trinity College Dublin) I heard that C.S. Lewis was going to be the guest speaker at the Historical Society. I had a struggle with my conscience. You see the Hist was a 'secular' society like the Phil (Philosophical) and I was a member of the Evangelical Union. I was also a Northern Irish Protestant fundamentalist and a member of a strict sect that even St. Paul would have had difficulty getting into. However since a teenager I was a devoted reader of Lewis's books. Should I go? At least it was the Hist that were sponsoring him, not the Phil who were noted for their lax morals!
My adulation overcame my religious scruples. The hall was packed, but I was able to get a seat at the back, hoping that no one from the E.U. would see me. I well remember the sight of this bald man standing behind the table, looking like a prosperous butcher, I can't remember why a butcher, maybe I had known one who looked like him. And (I can hardly write it) he was chain smoking. At least that was what I thought, but you must remember that chain smoking to me then was more than one cigarette an hour. I have no idea what he spoke about, probably some abstruse English Lit subject, however he could have spoken in Greek, and he could have, and it would not have made any difference to me, love is not only blind, but deaf.
At this point I now have some sympathy with Walter Hooper, as what happened at the end of the lecture was as follows. I walked up to Mr. Lewis and said, "Good evening, Sir, I have read all your books with great interest, but I would like to correct you on one or two theological points". After a stimulating discussion he looked at me and said, "Young man, you have a very clear insight into my thinking, I thank for your contribution".
At least that's what happened in my imagination. What actually happened is a little less clear. Indeed my memory of it is very vague indeed. I know I did shake his hand, but whether I did so when I left, assuming he stood at the door like the rector after a morning service, or whether I pushed my way up to the platform in fear and trembling and stuck my hand out, is lost in the mists of antiquity.
If only I had started my custom of writing to authors earlier I would have a stack of letters from him to show you. Alas I do not. I think the first time I wrote to an author was when I wrote from a cannibal island off the coast of Sierra Leone to the Rev. J.B. Phillips thanking him for his translation, "Letters to Young Churches". I got back a letter which began,
"Dear Dr. Keenan,
Thank you for your letter which I received this morning. . ."
And that was before e-mail was a glimmer in the electronic mind of God. But it began an interesting friendship. Later I was to visit him at his home in Swanage, when he told me the story he tells in one of his books about Lewis appearing to him after his death (Lewis's!) and saying to him, "It's not as bad as you think, you know." He was very depressed at the time. I was reminded of this recently when a friend returned my autographed copy of "The Young Church in Action" given to me then.
I think it all started because of vague aspirations to write, and I hoped that if I wrote to famous authors some of their genius might rub off. Sadly this was not to be. Anyway I continued the custom with, to me, delightful results.
Yesterday I even had another letter from the Features Editor of a Medical magazine with words sweet to my eyes, "I thank you for your humorous article on 'Antenatal and Peri-Mortem evangelism'. I enjoyed it and do wish to accept it for publication." They even pay real money. Most of my scribblings appear in various religious magazines, even Anglican papers, and like the Gospel, are free!
I have been amusing myself re-reading "C.S. Lewis, Images of His World", and looking for the similarities in our histories. A quite useless but amusing pastime!, but I guess there is the hope that by association some of the glory will rub off! We were both born in Northern Ireland, sent to boarding school at the age of 10. Both went to Campbell, with 30 years in between!, he for half a term, me for seven years. Both of us missed a scholarship because of lack of mathematical ability. I still hate math, it's too unforgiving, words are easier to manipulate!. Both of us have travelled from Belfast to England via the mail boat to Liverpool. Both were married in 1956. Here the similarities end.’
THE KILNS
Dr Edwin Brown writes- ‘Although Mrs Janie ‘Minto’ Moore was the legal owner of the house, the Lewis brothers had the right of life tenancy. Maureen then sold the house to the Thirsk family after both brothers died. A group of us then bought the house in 1985 from the Thirsks in a limited partnership.’
In an earlier issue of ‘C S Lewis News’, we quoted Chris Shelley who discovered entries from Warren Lewis’s diary- "Cost of the Kilns 3300, Paid cash (I paid) 300, Mortgage held by J 1000, Mortgage held by me 500, Mortgage held by Askins trustees 1500."
Chris Shelley concluded, "Thus the Lewis brothers invested 1800. The Askins [sic] only 1500." I assume that the Lewis brothers paid for all the Kilns municipal expenses, upkeep, and expansions. But the papers they signed upon purchase deeded the property to Janie or her heir Maureen upon their deaths.'
Albert Lewis, father of C.S. and Warren, was a Solicitor; but you wouldn't need to be a lawyer to perceive that the Lewis brothers were getting a poor deal. They were providing more than half the capital to buy 'The Kilns' as well as the money to run and maintain the house. In return the brothers were receiving no interest in the property itself, only the right to live there during their lifetimes.
At the 'Aspects of Irish Writing' festival in Northern Ireland on Sunday 27 September 1998, I (James O’Fee) questioned Walter Hooper about the matter. Hooper's answer, in public, was what it had been in private. That the Lewis brothers were bachelors and had no intention of marrying, so there was no point in the brothers making any provision for themselves. Yet in 1930, when the brothers bought ‘The Kilns’, C. S. Lewis was 32 and Warren Lewis was 35, in the prime of life.
BROADCAST TALKS Travis L Crafton writes from Wichita, Kansas-‘ I was wondering if you knew of any place on the web or otherwise that would be able to provide a recording of the radio talks that eventually became Mere Christianity.I have searched the archives of the BBC website, but to no avail. Perhaps this is not possible. If it is I would be most grateful for any assistance you could offer.’
Walter Hooper writes on this subject in his 'C. S. Lewis: a Companion and Guide', [London, 1996], 'Recordings of C. S. Lewis', p 779.
a) BBC Recordings. All but 3 of the wartime BBC recordings were delivered live. The only one that has survived is 'The New Man', recorded 21 March 1944 and is 14 min 12 sec long.
Lewis also recorded for the BBC the Preface for 'The Great Divorce' [9 May 1948] and a talk on Charles Williams [11 Feb 1949.], 'The Great Divide' [1 April 1955] and a talk on Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' [16 Oct 1962].
b) The Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation, Inc, Recordings. 'The Four Loves' were recorded 19-20 Aug 1958. In 1970 the Foundation put them on 4 cassettes entitled 'Four Talks on Love', title later changed to 'The Four Loves'. One hour playing time each cassette. In 1982 the Foundation issued a number of other cassettes
* 9-cassette album of Michael York reading 'Mere Christianity'. Included is Lewis's talk on 'The New Man'.
* Three cassettes entitled 'C. S. Lewis: Comments and Critiques' which contain all the other BBC broadcasts listed under the BBC above.
The Michael York album is no longer available, but 'Four Loves' and 'Comments and Critiques' are available from- The Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation, Inc., 3379 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta Georgia 30326, USA. Tel 404 233 5419 Fax 404 233 3597.
SOCRATIC CLUB
Bill Herried writes-‘My family and I are in England for a short time (visiting from the US). In the book "God In The Dock," the compiler makes mention of the fact that the Socratic Club continues to "meet to this day." Are you aware of the continued existence of this club, and whether or not they still meet? And if they do, where and when? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Walter Hooper writes the following on the Socratic Club in his 'C. S. Lewis: a Companion and Guide' (London, 1996)- 'After Lewis went to Cambridge in 1955 there was a sharp decline in interest, and the Socratic came to an end in 1972. The Club published five 'Socratic Digests', copies of which are in the Bodleian. An account of the Socratic with a list of speakers up to 1954 is found in Walter Hooper's 'Oxford's Bonny Fighter' in 'C. S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table' [ed James Como]. Hooper notes that 'God in the Dock' was published in 1979, so the statement you quote seems a puzzle.
* THE WRITTEN WORD
NARNIA SEQUEL
Michel Faber, author of the Narnia sequel ‘Brave Again’, which he cannot publish because of copyright restrictions by C. S. Lewis Pte Ltd, writes from Scotland-‘Thank you very much for passing on to me the e-mailed comments from your correspondents in the US. In a month which has seen the publication of my first book of short stories, ‘Some Rain Must Fall’, to (so far) rave reviews, I can honestly say that the tears and the candid thoughts of the readers of ‘Brave Again’ meant more to me than anything. All of the comments were of great interest to me, but of course I was especially proud of those from people who were moved by the story.
In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that it was specifically for someone like Jeanette Koenig that I wrote the story in the first place a woman who had identified with Suisan and always wanted, but never quite managed to, believe that she was redeemed after all. Whenever you have occasion to email any of the people who responded, please feel free, if discretion permits, to thank them on my behalf and convey my best wishes. And, of course, my best wishes to you, too.’
Marilylle Soveran writes-‘I have been able to read a couple of the "Susan" stories people have written--very interesting. It might be a good exercise for us all to try one - a way to work through how we feel about Susan -- and all the other "Susans" in our Christian experience. One that I read was a clever short story beginning with an aged Susan and gradually following her as the Lion called her back. Another was an extra "Narnia" story - following the "Kings and Queens of Narnia" in an adventure , during which Aslan finds a way to let Susan know ahead of time that she will "forget" and wander. (Like Peter and the cock-crow"). She does "come through", but into a different adventure -- not Narnia, but nonetheless in Aslan's realm.
I am wondering how the writing of "sequels" is in any way a threat to the commercial interests of a series such as the Chronicles. What is being protected? The commercial value of the few "spin-offs" that we might publish, should we wish to, would not hurt Narnia sales -- may even help. Perhaps it is that the images and symbols are being protected. I could write a "good" portrayal, in harmony with Lewis's concepts and theology. (Just a supposition, of course). But if allowed, that would mean anyone could do what they want with the characters -- from downright heresy, ridicule, or even porn. Is that the fear, I wonder?’
Kirsten Edwards writes-‘One of my earliest cataloguing stumpers [was] how to handle a festschrift in MARC II format. A festschrift is a collection of essays or stories in honor of a particular person. I've read several collections of stories written to honor a particular writer - often writing in the "world" or the "style" or using a character of hers. Why couldn't such a thing be created for C.S. Lewis? A call to the many famous fantasy and children's writers who found Lewis' fantasies and Narnia stories inspiring might yield great results.
It has these advantages:
Manuel Alfonseca writes from Spain - ‘Something not being protected [by copyright restrictions-Ed] is the general interest of mankind. If the twentieth century furor for copyright protection had existed before, we wouldn't have:
Jean de Meung's Romance de la Rose
Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival
Malory's Morte d'Artur
Ariosto's Orlando furioso
most of Shakespeare's plays (including Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet)
and many other masterpieces.’
MARY ROGERS’ ARTICLES Mary Rogers has had three articles of hers on Lewis published this month.
THE LITTLE ACORN Pastor Derick Bingham of Christchurch, Belfast, writes an article on CSL entitled ‘The Story Teller’ in Issue Sixteen of ‘The Little Acorn’, Londonderry
COMPLETE CHRONICLES John Visser, ‘Dr Zeus’, writes ‘I just received my ordered copy of "The Complete Chronicles of Narnia" from Amazon.com. All I can say is one word..."WOW!". *Very* well done. I'm still in awe.’
IN SEARCH OF FLORA HAMILTON The October issue of ‘C S Lewis News’ mentioned an article ‘In Search of Flora Hamilton’ in THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REVIEW 1997-98. Published by Queen's University Association, c/o Student Records Office, Administration Building, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland.
MUST-HAVES John Visser "Dr Zeus" operates the leading C. S. Lewis web site, ‘Into The Wardrobe’ http://cslewis.DrZeus.net. John writes ‘Apart from those books written by Lewis himself, here’s my (incomplete) list of the perfect collection that should be on the bookshelves of all Lewis fans and/or scholars -
1)"Touring C. S. Lewis' Ireland and England" by Perry C. Bramlett & Ronald W. Higdon
2) "Companion To Narnia" by Paul Ford
3) "Lenten Lands" by Douglas Gresham
4) "The Narnian Cookbook" by Douglas Gresham and Mary Kate Morgan
5) "C. S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide" by Walter Hooper
6) "The Quotable Lewis" by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root
7) "The C. S. Lewis Reader's Encyclopedia" by Jeffrey D. Schultz and John G. West.’
NARNIAN PRODUCTS Rodney Loewen writes-
* COMPL. CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (W. COLOUR ILLUST. BY PAULINE BAYNES) US $50.00 CAN $69.95 ISBN 0-06-028137-5 This book is hardcover and has all 7 Chronicles within. It measures approx. 11 1/4" x 8 1/2" x 1 1/2".
* 1999 WORLD OF NARNIA CALENDAR (W. PICTURES BY DEBORAH MAZE)
US$ 9.95 CAN $13.95 ISBN 0-694-01094-4 This calendar measures approx 12" x 12" and comes with over 60 stickers for special occasions.
FEEDBACK Lois Westerlund writes-‘The last Newsletter was wonderful!! Please thank Tony for his local history information. The book reviews are also interesting and helpful. Thanks for all your time and effort in putting this newsletter together. Indeed, we shall all feel its absence immensely.’
OUR CONTEMPORARIES
‘THE LITTLE ACORN’, Issue Sixteen, 73 Carlisle Road, Londonderry BT48 6JL, Northern Ireland. 1.50 per issue [IR1.85], subscriptions for 12 issues 20.00 (IR 25).
‘OXFORD TODAY: THE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE’, Michaelmas Issue 1998, Subscriptions #10 UK, $20 US, to Oxford Today Subscriptions, University of Oxford, External Relations Office, Oxenford House, Magdalen Street, Oxford OX1 3AB.
‘OXFORD:THE JOURNAL OF THE OXFORD SOCIETY’, November 1998,. Editor: T.J. Lewis, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JF.
* FINALLY
'TRAIL' BROCHURE Free copies of our 1998 brochure 'The C S Lewis Centenary Trail in Belfast and North Down' are available. Write, enclosing a stamped, addressed, 6"x9" (A5) envelope to:
(UK): TRAIL BROCHURE, Ace Ventures, 214 Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 2DH.
with a 26p stamp on the envelope; or
(North America) Donna J. Christensen, Omega Productions, P.O. Box 822643,
Dallas TX 75382. The envelope should have 55 cent stamps (US) or, for Canada, an "International Reply Coupon" for 72 cents US, available at Canadian Post Offices.
BACK ISSUES OF 'C S LEWIS NEWS' Each back issue costs £1 ($2), or £13 ($24) for issues 1-17 inclusive. Please send your order to;
C S Lewis News (Back Issues),
Ace Ventures,
217 Holywood Road,
Belfast BT4 2DH,
Northern Ireland.
Telephone (working hours) (01232) 672351 or (international) +44 1232 672351. Make cheques payable to 'ACE VENTURES'.
END OF THE MAIN SECTION
BOOK REVIEWS, November
THE NARNIA COOKBOOK, HarperCollins, US$ 16.95 CAN$ 24.50, ISBN: 0-06-027815-3. Cooking and baking by Mary Kate Morgan, Commentaries by Douglas Gresham, Illustrations by Pauline Baynes. With 50 recipes divided into- Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Dessert and Drinks. I recently bought "The Narnia Cookbook" and we just had to try out the Turkish Delight recipe. Not only was it fun to make, but it was fun to eat!!! No wonder poor Edmund was so enticed by Turkish Delight- Rodney Loewen. CHRISTIAN MYTHMAKERS, Rolland Hein, Cornerstone Press, paperback, 289 pp, $13.95 US. An introduction the "Christian mythopoeia" ie stories which "confront us with something transcendent and eternal". Deals with John Bunyan ("From Allegory to Myth"), George MacDonald ("Myth and Symbol"), G. K. Chesterton ("Myth in Everyday Life"), Charles Williams ("Myth and Power"), J. R. R. Tolkien ("Myth and Middle Earth"), C. S. Lewis ("Myth and Sehnsucht"). And with Madeleine L'Engle, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel, and Hannah Hurnard ("Myth Today"). Dr. Hein is Professor Emeritus of English at Wheaton College, Chicago, and author of the best-selling GEORGE MACDONALD: VICTORIAN MYTHMAKER. Dr Hein gives concise and well-written surveys. He pays particular attention to C. S. Lewis’s space novels (OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET, PERELANDRA, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH), and to Lewis’s TILL WE HAVE FACES. The book includes a very helpful glossary of terms, a bibliography, and a previously unpublished essay, "What Is Myth?" by Dr. Clyde S. Kilby.- Perry Bramlett.
HUNTLY - A SCOTTISH TOWN IN FORMER DAYS, introduction by David S. Robb (The George MacDonald Society, 1998, paperback $12.00 U.S.) - This book is a reprint of two books, RECOLLECTIONS OF HUNTLY AS IT WAS SEVENTY YEARS AGO (George Gray, 1892), and HUNTLY TWO CENTURIES AGO (Rev. Robert Troup, 1871). Huntly was the birthplace and childhood home of MacDonald, who was C. S. Lewis's "spiritual master" and the man perhaps most influential in his life. It is available from Johannesen Publishing and Printing, P. O. Box 24, Whitehorn, California 95589 U.S.- Perry Bramlett.
BLACKSTONE AUDIO BOOKS (P. O. Box 969, Ashland, OR 97520 U.S., phone 800-729-2665) is one of the major outlets in the U.S. for unabridged audio recordings, and their latest catalogue contains several audio books of interest to lovers of C. S. Lewis and readers of this newsletter. Among these include: Humphrey Carpenter's THE INKLINGS
(nine 1 1/2 hour cassetes, cost $62.95), George Sayer's JACK: C. S. LEWIS AND HIS TIMES (ten 1 1/2 hour cassetes, cost $69.95), Sheldon
Vanauken's A SEVERE MERCY (six 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $44.95),
Harry Blamires's (a student and friend of Lewis) THE CHRISTIAN MIND
(five 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $39.95), G. K. Chesterton's AUTOBIOGRAPHY (seven 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $49.95), THE
EVERLASTING MAN (seven 1 1/2 hour cassetes, cost $49.95), ORTHODOXY (five 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $39.95), Dorothy L. Sayers's THE MIND OF THE MAKER (five 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $39.95), and James Patrick and Andrew Walker's (eds.) A CHRISTIAN FOR ALL CHRISTIANS: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF C. S. LEWIS (seven 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $49.95). Blackstone's also offers recordings of Lewis's "spiritual mentor" George MacDonald: LILITH (seven 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $49.95), PHANTASTES (six 1 1/2 hour cassttes, cost $44.95), GETTING TO KNOW JESUS (anthology of writings and quotes, six 1 1/2 hour cassttes, cost $44.95), THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN (four 1 1/2 hour cassttes, cost $32.95), THE LIGHT PRINCESS AND OTHER FANTASY STORIES (six 1 1/2 cassettes, cost $44.95), THE GRAY WOLF AND OTHER FANTASY STORIES (four 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $32.95), and THE PRINCESS AND CURDIE (five 1 1/2 hour cassettes, cost $39.95). The recordings from Blackstone are all (at least the ones I own) of the highest quality, and it also offers audio recordings for rental, about 1/4 of the cost for buying. The company has been in business 11 years, publishes 1,300 titles, and lists its catalogue subscribers at 30,000.- Perry Bramlett.
ALL THE BELLS ON EARTH by James P. Blaylock (Ace Books, New York, pb, 1987, $6.50 U.S.) - A fantasy/science fiction novel by a well known American writer, this work is described as "at once reminiscent of C. S. Lewis's THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH..." (Washington Post Book World). -Perry Bramlett.
LEGEND-THE GENESIS OF CIVILISATION, David M. Rohl, Century (Random House), 1998, ISBN 07126 7747 X, 454 pages, hardback £20.00 (UK). A follow-up to ‘A Test of Time: the Bible-from Myth to History’, broadcast by Channel 4 in 1995 as the series ‘Pharoahs and Kings, a Biblical Quest’. Here Egyptologist David Rohl delves into the earliest origins of the Bible. Rohl identifies the Garden of Eden as a valley high in the western mountains of Iran, next the lands of Nod and Cush. In the earliest writings of Mesopotamia Dr Rohl finds records both of the Biblical patriarchs and of the Flood. The book’s final section examines little-known early links between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Interesting reading for those curious in the Bible as a book of accurate record- James O’Fee
END OF BOOK REVIEWS
END OF NEWSLETTER.
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