C. S. Lewis: Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces

C. S. Lewis's essays have been published in various combinations for years now. What is absolutely terrific about this volume is that it packages 135 of Lewis's essays and other short writings. Some of those here are hard to find anywhere else such as Christian Reunion. If you are interested in C.S. Lewis's essays -- and functioning neurons ought to be -- then this is the volume to get.I have a huge library of C.S. Lewis's work -- just about everything and I bought this to flesh out my collection since it contained some essays I didn't have. When I got it I took one look and now it is the first volume I take down when I'm looking for something. The essays are nicely arranged by overall topic -- just the sixteen essays collected as part 6: The Art of Writing and the Gifts of Writers -- are worth the price of admission. Even some of Lewis's fiction is included. The fragment "The Dark Tower" for example -- it's authenticity has been questioned -- read it and decide for yourself. First though I think you should read "Voyage to Arcturus" which taught Lewis what planets are good for. Then when you read the Dark Tower you can meaningfully ask the question "Is this a plausible result given Lewis's expressed views of VTA?" As an exercise in overlap I looked at God In The Dock and so far have found all but two of the essays there (48 of them) are included in the 135 here -- the two missing as far as I can tell are "Rejoinder to Dr. Pittenger" and "Is Progress Possible?" -- so that's an example. If you're just starting out reading Lewis's Essays then this is the book to get.I simply love this collection. If you don't buy this one you can get most of the essays by buying about five other volumes.

I'm still hyperventilating over the out-of-print price I paid for this, but this is a great, great get. Another reviewer has elsewhere pointed out that the most efficient way to grab up Lewis's essays is to get these:Essay Collection and Other Short PiecesSelected Literary EssaysStudies in Medieval and Renaissance LiteratureUnfortunately the top two are out of print. But if you can swing the dough, you will have very nearly every essay published by Lewis, and I believe only a single essay is repeated between the three collections. (I could be wrong, but the number of repeats is tiny. I don't have SLE in front of me to check the math.) To me, they are well worth it.If you have worked your way through the staples (ha! no pun intended!) of Lewis's canon and want to branch out, this is a gold mine for you. This one, the other two mentioned, and the third volume of his collected letters would be an even better set.

I purchased the audiobook version on CD. The content is varied and well produced. I find the narrator's voice to be pleasant and understandable. There are 31 CDs that make up 39 hours of listening content. This is an extensive list of Lewis' works to find together in one set, and I am very happy with the purchase.My only suggestion for improvement would be to include an insert with a timed list of the included pieces. The CDs are set with a new track every 3-4 minutes, so you can easily find your place again after taking a break, but none of the tracks are titled. In fact, even the CDs themselves have no titles. It's a continuous running for 39 hours, with no indication of start and stop times. A previous reviewer was very helpful in listing out all of the pieces with their start times, but there is still some trial and error in figuring out which CD a certain title can be found on. It seems like this is a basic thing that should be included as standard with this set. Also, the 31 CDs come in thin paper sleeves inside of the paper box, which is fine for home, but to take these traveling I will need a separate CD case.

The whole collection is well worth the logic and quips C.S. Lewis is known for. And, you can hear some of Lewis's lesser-known writings and ideas.Brief essays, succinct writer: time well invested.The audiobook, as read by Ralph Cosham, does not disappoint. (Note: the audio quality is good. While simultaneously driving and listening it is rare to need to listen a 2nd time to the reading in order to understand what Cosham is reading, road and car noise notwithstanding.)While the musty weight of paper and binding is preferable, the audio currently proves its worth in cost savings. Enjoy Lewis -- while you keep a couple hundred in your pocket!

I'm not a Narnia fan, but I stand in awe of Lewis' instinctive charity and humility, his lucidity, and the simple-yet-profound systematic analysis he brings to every subject. I've listened to this superb narration--all thousand pages--twice, and am certain to listen again. Hands down, this is the best of the several dozen Audible books I own.

I love C. S. Lewis and this narrator is splendid. However, I have not advanced beyond the first c d because the second one is defective. I am so disappointed; I hope (and pray) the other 29 c d''s are all right.

One of my all-time favorite books. I purchased the audiobook version as well and have listened to it a couple of times through. Most of the essays were written addressing issues during Lewis' time, but they are still quite relevant for today.

I have read most of C. S. Lewis’ books multiple times, it was awesome to find this collection which had material I had not read or heard before.

Very pleased