How can I contact C. S. Lewis?

Unfortunately, you can't. He died on November 22, 1963. That's the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Aldous Huxley also died that day.

I have questions about the life of C. S. Lewis. Can you help?

You're in luck, because there's an outline of the life of C. S. Lewis on this site.

What does the "C. S." stand for?

His full name is Clive Staples Lewis.

What did C. S. Lewis write?

Perhaps his most famous writings are The Chronicles of Narnia (which are comprised of seven books), The Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters. Complete lists of his works can be found on this site.

Where can I download the text of C. S. Lewis' books?

Most of Lewis' work is still under copyright, and will be for some time. However, if you do some digging around the web, you probably can find what you're looking for (but no, I won't tell you where). Of course, you can purchase eBooks, or find the hard copies at a bookstore or your local library.

What did C. S. Lewis look like?

In Letters to Children, he described himself as "...tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, hav[ing] a deep voice, and wear[ing] glasses for reading." Here's a gallery of photos.

What did C. S. Lewis sound like?

Being born in Northern Ireland, then moving to England at 10 years old and being educated at public school and Oxford, Lewis had a rather unique accent. Hear it for yourself:

Why was C. S. Lewis known as Jack?

As a child, Lewis had a dog called "Jacksie" whom he really loved. When he was four years old, the poor dog got run down by one of the first cars in Ireland. He then said that from that point on he'll be known by the name of his dog (although he also didn't like his birth names). Eventually, the name evolved from "Jacksie" to Jack. From that point on, all his friends and teachers called him that, except for one of his tutors.

Is it true that C. S. Lewis was an atheist at one point in his life?

Yes. Lewis was raised in a Christian home (Church of Ireland), and became an atheist when he was 15. He converted back to Christianity (Church of England) when he was 33 with the help of his friend, J. R. R. Tolkien.

Who was Joy Davidman?

Helen Joy Davidman was an American poet and writer who married C. S. Lewis in a civil ceremony in 1956 to ensure her residency in the UK. Though initially a marriage of convenience, it developed into a deep, genuine love that Lewis later described as a "strange sort of happiness." After her cancer diagnosis, they were married by a priest in 1957. Their story, marked by a brief remission and her death on July 13, 1960, was later immortalized in the book A Grief Observed and the film Shadowlands.

Who was Janie Moore?

Janie King Moore was the mother of Lewis's WWI comrade, Paddy Moore. The two men pledged that if either died, the survivor would care for the other’s parent. Following Paddy's death, Lewis honored this commitment for over thirty years, supporting Mrs. Moore financially and living with her until her death in 1951. Despite varying interpretations of their relationship by biographers, Lewis remained faithfully devoted to her care, even through her long period of declining health in a nursing home.

Did C. S. Lewis win any awards or honors?

The Last Battle won the Carnegie Award, the highest honor for children's literature in the United Kingdom. Also, Winston Churchill offered Lewis a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1951, but he turned it down.

Are there any tours of C. S. Lewis sites in Ireland or England? Are the Kilns open to the public?

Yes, there are! If you're interested in learning about the sites and how to make reservations, I recommend getting Touring C. S. Lewis' Ireland and England by Perry Bramlett and Ronald Higdon.

You can also contact The C. S. Lewis Foundation for information on how to make a reservation to visit The Kilns, where Lewis lived for much of his life.

Are there any other C. S. Lewis related sites that are open to the public?

• Magdalen College, Oxford is often open to public visits in the vacations.
• Holy Trinity Churchyard Headington Quarry, Oxford (the site of Jack's grave) is open.
• The Eagle and Child (the Bird and Baby) where many of the Inklings meetings were held is open during normal pub opening hours.
• Wheaton College in the far western suburbs of Chicago, houses an extensive collection relating not only to C. S. Lewis, but also to G. K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers. Among its treasures is the original wardrobe that C. S. Lewis supposedly had in mind when he wrote the Narnia books.

What is the correct order for reading The Chronicles of Narnia? What order do you recommend?

Simply put, I don't believe there is a correct order. But depending upon who you ask, there is a preferred order.

The books were originally published without numbers, since Lewis didn't know how many Narnia books he was going to write. When the American publisher Macmillan decided to put numbers on their editions they chose to use the order in which the books were originally published.

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
2. Prince Caspian (1951)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
4. The Silver Chair (1953)
5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
6. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

When HarperCollins took over the publication of the books in America, they decided to keep numbering the books, but on the recommendation of Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham, they adopted the order that follows Narnian chronology:

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

This is also the order followed by the current British editions, published by Fontana Lions.

As for my recommendation, I always suggest that the first-time reader begin with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then continue in the published order. Once all seven books have been read in that order, read them again (and again) however you choose. My reasoning? I find The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to be a much more engaging book than The Magician's Nephew, and you'll find a lot more wonderful surprises throughout the series if you read them in the published order.

Is it true that there are differences in the British and American editions of the Narnia books?

Yes. Beyond standard spelling differences, minor textual variations exist in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. For instance, the name of the White Witch's agent changes from Maugrim in the UK to Fenris Ulf in some US editions. There are also slight differences in descriptive imagery, such as whether the Deep Magic is written on "fire-stones" or the "world ash-tree."

Where did C. S. Lewis come up with the word "Narnia"?

It is widely believed to be derived from the ancient Umbrian city of Narnia (modern-day Narni, Italy). As a scholar of the classics at Oxford, Lewis likely encountered the name in Latin literature. References to the city appear in works by Livy, Tacitus, and Pliny the Elder, as well as a letter from Pliny the Younger which Lewis specifically mentioned in his own correspondence.

Do you have a recipe for Turkish Delight?

There are several Turkish Delight recipes available online. Here are a few to try:

• Yummly
• Instructables
• Allrecipes