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How to Be a Christian

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The C. S. Lewis Collection: Essays and Speeches

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The C. S. Lewis Collection: Academic Works

The C. S. Lewis Collection: Novels and Stories

The C. S. Lewis Collection: Signature Classics and Other Major Works

The C. S. Lewis Signature Classics (Gift Edition Anthology)

An Anthology of 8 C. S. Lewis Titles:

Mere Christianity

The Screwtape Letters

The Great Divorce

The Problem of Pain

A Grief Observed

The Abolition of Man

The Four Loves

The Personal Heresy

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The 19 best C.S. Lewis books, from Narnia and beyond, according to Goodreads

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• C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a British writer who wrote over 30 books in his lifetime.
• He is best known for writing " The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ."
• We used reviews from Goodreads members to rate his most popular novels.

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a British writer who is best known for his fantastical children's series " The Chronicles of Narnia ," but also wrote science fiction, moral fiction, and theological nonfiction works. His religious works and musings are often studied as thought exercises in morality, philosophy, and theology and his " Chronicles of Narnia " series has sold over 100 million copies, becoming a staple of classic children's fantasy. 

To rank the most popular C.S. Lewis novels, we turned to Goodreads members. On Goodreads , over 125 million readers rate, review, and recommend their favorite novels to their friends and the community.  So whether you're looking for your first C.S. Lewis novel or a new read from the author of your favorite children's book, here are the best C.S. Lewis books, according to Goodreads members.

The 19 best C.S. Lewis books, according to Goodreads members:

'the lion, the witch and the wardrobe'.

" The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.64

With over 2.5 million ratings, " The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe " is the most popular C.S. Lewis book amongst Goodreads members. It's a fantastical children's story about the magical, wintry world young Lucy and her siblings discover hidden in the back of a wardrobe. In Narnia, the children find a noble lion, a White Witch, and the terrible spell under which all of Narnia is trapped.

'The Magician's Nephew'

"The Magician's Nephew," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

Though published sixth, " The Magician's Nephew " is the prequel to " The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ," detailing the creation of Narnia by Aslan, the lion. Set 1,000 years before the first magical tale, this story explains the fantastical elements of Narnia and the importance of different histories, and is an enjoyable story for anyone who loved the first classic novel.

'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.99

Lucy and Edmund are drawn back into Narnia along with their cousin, Eustace, to discover King Caspian is set to board the ship Dawn Treader in search of the seven lost Lords, banished by the previous evil king. The three children board the ship for a fantastical adventure in this third installment of the " Chronicles of Narnia " series.

'The Screwtape Letters'

"The Screwtape Letters," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.27

" The Screwtape Letters " is a 1942 classic religious satire that uses the viewpoint of devils to portray the temptations and sins of humanity. Told through 31 letters from a demon named Screwtape, the story serves as a satirical mentorship from the demon to his nephew as he attempts to secure the eternal damnation of one British man.

'Prince Caspian'

"Prince Caspian," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

In this second book in the " Chronicles of Narnia " series, the Pevensie siblings are pulled back to Narnia, where 1300 years have passed in the one English year since their last visit. The children learn that the magic is running out in Narnia, the animals are in hiding, and there's a prince who desperately needs their help.

'Mere Christianity'

"Mere Christianity," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.69

" Mere Christianity " is a theological book by C.S. Lewis, a compilation of BBC radio talks that he gave between 1941 and 1944. First published as three separate books, the transcripts focus on mortality, Christian ethics, and the Christian idea of God. 

'The Horse and His Boy'

"The Horse and His Boy," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

Set during the final chapter of " The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ," this story is told as the Pevensie children reign as kings and queens in Narnia, though they appear as only minor characters in this tale. In the countries south of Narnia, two children and their two talking horses are each running away from home when they uncover a prince's plan to attack Archenland and set out to warn the king.

'The Silver Chair'

"The Silver Chair," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

In this " Chronicles of Narnia " tale, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole are two children pulled into Narnia and recruited to help the elderly King Caspian X help find his missing son and heir to his throne. The lion, Aslan, gives Jill four Signs to guide them on their journey to find the missing prince. 

'The Last Battle'

"The Last Battle," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

" The Last Battle " is the emotional and highly-anticipated conclusion to the " Chronicles of Narnia " series, where an evil ape named Shift has deceived the residents of Narnia with a naive donkey disguised as Aslan the lion, leading Narnians astray. Learning of the distress, King Tirian calls Eustace and Jill to Narnia, who are soon joined by the Pevensie siblings to defend Narnia and Aslan. 

'The Great Divorce'

"The Great Divorce," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.99

" The Great Divorce " is a Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. As the narrator waits for the bus in a cold, grey, rainy town, he listens to the discussions of other passengers before boarding a bus that ascends beyond the rainy clouds into a clear sky in this story about grace, judgment, and redemption. 

'Out of the Silent Planet'

"Out of the Silent Planet," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.19

This novel is the first in a science fiction trilogy where Dr. Ransom is kidnapped and taken aboard a spacecraft set for a planet called Malacandra, better known as Mars. When Dr. Ransom overhears his captors discussing their plans to offer him as a sacrifice, he attempts to escape and, in the process, learns about this new strange planet and the intergalactic history of his own.

'A Grief Observed'

"A Grief Observed," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.49

" A Grief Observed " is a painful and raw collection of C.S. Lewis' grief-ridden journal entries following the death of his wife in 1960. As Lewis mourned his wife, he contemplated profound questions about the role of faith and religion in life and death, exploring the human processes of grief in a candid conversation. 

'Till We Have Faces'

"Till We Have Faces," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.49

In this mythological retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche, possessive Orual is accusatory and suspicious of her younger sister Psyche's, new love: Cupid. Determined to pull Psyche away from Cupid, Orual begins a journey of moral development in this vivid retelling.

'Surprised by Joy'

"Surprised by Joy," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.49

" Surprised by Joy " is an autobiographical depiction of C.S. Lewis' conversion to Christianity in 1931. Though the memoir does not continue beyond that year, the book focuses on Lewis' search to find joy and how that search guided his path from atheism to Christianity.

'The Problem of Pain'

"The Problem of Pain," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.79

In this short philosophical read, C.S. Lewis sets out to answer a huge theological question: If God is all-powerful and good, why does he allow people to suffer? C.S. Lewis argues that the existence of pain is not evidence that God isn't good through this exploration of theology, morality, and paradoxes.

'The Four Loves'

"The Four Loves," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.99

Published in 1963, " The Four Loves " is a compilation of radio talks C.S. Lewis gave in 1958 about love through a religious and philosophical perspective. Lewis explores the four types of human love — affection, friendship, erotic love, and love of God — through thoughtful problems and conversations. 

'Perelandra'

"Perelandra," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.99

This second novel of C.S. Lewis' science fiction trilogy is set on the planet Perelandra, or Venus, where Dr. Ransom must travel to stop the dark force that threatens to invade the peaceful planet. In this rich novel that mirrors a retelling of the biblical "Adam and Eve" story, Ransom struggles against the forces of evil in a paradise land.

'That Hideous Strength'

"That Hideous Strength," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.99

" That Hideous Strength " is the final novel in C.S. Lewis' space trilogy. Set on Earth, this novel follows Mark Studdock who is enticed to join a sinister organization called N.I.C.E., which aims to control all of humanity. As his wife Jane continues to have strange and eerie dreams, Mark uncovers the meaning behind them in this fascinating science fiction conclusion.

'The Abolition of Man'

"The Abolition of Man," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.99

" The Abolition of Man " is a thought-provoking philosophical work that explores the values from the texts taught in schools, objective and natural values, and reflections upon a future where a select group of people decides the morality of humanity. Divided into three sections which were once a series of lectures given by C.S. Lewis, this 1943 philosophical book is one that encourages readers to challenge their own beliefs.

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A Complete List of C. S. Lewis Books in Chronological Order

When you hear the name C. S. Lewis, the first thing to pop into your head will probably be 'Narnia!'. Yes, he is the famous author of this much-loved series of books and movies. This Penlighten article provides a list of all the books by C. S. Lewis in chronological order.

When you hear the name C. S. Lewis, the first thing to pop into your head will probably be ‘Narnia!’. Yes, he is the famous author of this much-loved series of books and movies. This Penlighten article provides a list of all the books by C. S. Lewis in chronological order.

Quiet Goodbye …

Despite being such a renowned author, C. S. Lewis’s death was not a very publicized event because the day he died, i.e., on November 22, 1963, was also the day President Kennedy was assassinated.

Born Clive Staple Lewis and known as Jack to his near and dear ones, C. S. Lewis is a world renowned author, especially popular for his fantasy-fiction book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Some of the books in the series have since been turned into very successful movies that have been loved by grown-ups and kids alike. Apart from this, Mr. Lewis wrote many more fictional and non-fictional books. He was also an academician, poet, and essayist. The following paragraphs provide a list of all his books, divided into fiction and non-fiction, along with their publishing year.

The Pilgrim’s Regress

Year of Publishing – 1933

This is Lewis’s first work of prose to ever be published. The story is about a man named John, who starts out in search of an island that he greatly desires. He has just had a glimpse of this island, which he has been unable to forget. The story is about his desire that makes him undertake the journey, and about the journey itself.

The Space Trilogy

This is Lewis’s very first fictional series. As you can see, there is quite a gap between the publishing dates of all three books.

Out of the Silent Planet

Year of Publishing – 1938

Most of the action in this book takes place on Mars. The story’s hero, Elwin Ransom, takes a trip to Mars when he realizes that the earth has been shunned from the solar system. He soon finds out that the Earth’s Oyarsa (planet ruler) has turned evil. Hence, to prevent this from adversely affecting the rest of the solar system, the Earth has now been made a ‘silent planet’.

Year of Publishing – 1943

This book is also known as Voyage to Venus, which makes it quite evident that it is set on Venus (Perelandra). Here, Elwin Ransom goes to Venus on the orders of the Mars Oyarsa seen in Out of the Silent Planet, to save the Venusian humanoids from an attack by the Earth’s Oyarsa. It tells us all about Ransom’s adventures on Venus and his consequent return to earth.

That Hideous Strength

Year of Publishing – 1946

In this book, Elwin Ransom is not the main hero. This book is set on earth, where the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.), a huge organization known for its advanced scientific work, is in search of the body of the famous wizard, Merlin. It is collaborating with demons from another planet to take control of the Earth.

The Screwtape Letters

Year of Publishing – 1942

These are a series of letters written by a demon called Screwtape, to his demon nephew Wormwood, who is a novice put in charge of a person, who is referred to as ‘the patient’. Wormwood is supposed to tempt this human and make him err, thus bringing him closer to Hell (Satan) and away from Heaven (God). It aptly describes the human nature. The patient has been shown to convert to Christianity, and the book also describes various areas of temptation such as gluttony, sex, and pride, with which Wormwood is supposed to sway him. The book ends with the patient going to Heaven and Wormwood being destroyed by other demons.

The Great Divorce

Year of Publishing – 1945

The person who is telling this story has mysteriously found himself in a very ominous and gloomy place known as the “gray town”. Wanting to leave, he boards a crowded bus to another town. This new town is beautiful, but none of the new arrivals are able to enjoy it, because everything is too heavy for them to lift, even a leaf. They are soon welcomed by spirits who tell them that this is the path to heaven, and that they need to forsake some things to get there. It shows how the human mind works, and how we are not willing to let go of something for something better. A unique concept indeed.

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Year of Publishing – 1950

This book was the first of the series that introduced us to the enchanting world of Narnia. The four Pevensie children, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, are living with an old professor after having to leave London due to World War II. At his house, they come across a wardrobe that leads to another world called Narnia. The book revolves around the children helping Aslan the lion save the land from the evil witch. The witch is defeated, and the four children become the rulers of Narnia.

Prince Caspian

Year of Publishing – 1951

In this book, the children return to Narnia because a prince named Caspian calls to them for help. More than a millennium has passed since they left, and they are shocked to find Narnia ravaged, and the evil Miraz sitting on the throne. Miraz is Caspian’s uncle, who has betrayed his parents and become king. Caspian wants to defeat him, for which he needs help from the Pevensies.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Year of Publishing -1952

This book has only Lucy and Edmund, and a new character named Eustace Scrubb, who is their cousin. They join prince Caspian aboard the Dawn Treader, and set sail to find those lords who Miraz got rid of once he came to power. The book follows their adventures aboard the ship, and all the interesting people and creatures that they meet on their journey.

The Silver Chair

Year of Publishing – 1953

The Silver Chair stars Eustace and his friend Jill Pole, who are called to Narnia by Aslan to find prince Rilian, prince Caspian’s son. Rilian has left over a decade ago to find those who killed his mother and avenge her death. But he has not returned. This book shows the trouble and adventure the two children go through in their journey. The Pevensies do not appear in this book as main characters.

The Horse and His Boy

Year of Publishing – 1954

As with The Silver Chair, the main protagonists of this book are not the Pevensie children, though the book is set during their reign over Narnia. The story involves two people and two talking horses, who are separately held captive in another country, and plan their individual escapes to Narnia. They meet each other on the way and make the journey together.

The Magician’s Nephew

Year of Publishing – 1955

The book revolves around two friends, Digory Kirk and Polly Plummer. Digory’s uncle has created two magic rings, which the children put on one day, enabling them to enter many different worlds. They also get to witness how Aslan creates Narnia. The 12-year-old Digory is the same professor who houses the Pevensie children 4 decades later, and in whose house they find the entrance to Narnia.

The Last Battle

Year of Publishing – 1956

The Last Battle is about a foolish donkey who makes a great deal of trouble by pretending to be Aslan, which causes a battle between the other rulers of the land, in turn leading to the ruin and end of Narnia.

Till We Have Faces

This book is the story of Cupid and Psyche, retold by Lewis because he believed that some parts of the original were inconsistent. This story is narrated by Orual, Psyche’s sister. When Psyche is commanded to be married to the God of the Mountain, Orual is hurt. As nobody has seen this God’s face, Orual convinces her sister to do so, which results in the marriage breaking up. Everyone believes that Orual did this to Psyche out of jealousy, which is why she decides to tell everyone the truth. This two-part book is her side of the story.

Ministering Angels

Year of Publishing – 1958

This book is set entirely on Mars. A group of men explore the planet, when another group of people from earth land there. There are two women in this new group who are sent to woo and have carnal relationships with these men, because they have been alone on Mars for a long time. The book revolves around the events that happen from this point forward, and gives readers a message that there is more to humans than just physical relationships. An interesting concept!

Screwtape Proposes a Toast

Year of Publishing – 1961

This is an essay that is usually attached with The Screwtape Letters. It is a toast made by the demon Screwtape during dinner one night at the Tempters’ Training College for demons. He criticizes the current system of public education, and all the faults in it that have brought it down. It is set in the backdrop of World War II and compares the educational methods of the West and the Communists. It has a strong political theme.

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

Year of Publishing – 1964

Malcolm is an imaginary person to whom the author addresses the letters in this book. It is mainly about the author’s take on prayer. He says that prayer is a medium for a person to communicate with God. He also gets into the details of prayer, such as when and how it must be done. Other aspects that the author elaborates on are the various types of prayer, and their importance and effects. He also talks about rebirth.

The Dark Tower

Year of Publishing – 1977

The Dark Tower is an unfinished story that is believed to be the original sequel to Out of the Silent Planet. Once, an academician developed a device, a chronoscope, to see into the parallel universe called “Othertime”. The villain of the story is a semi-human with a horn on his head, known as the Unicorn, who is the ruler of “Othertime”. He wishes to build a prestigious university there, stinging and turning people into slaves to do his bidding. The story revolves around time travel, the adventures of entering into another universe, and one very mean unicorn.

Year of Publishing – 1985

This book has been written together by Lewis and his brother Warnie, in their childhood. It is about an entirely different world having only animals in it, called Animal-Land. It is complete with the architecture, politics, and different residents of this place, all explained in detail.

Non-fiction

The allegory of love: a study in medieval tradition.

Year of Publishing – 1936

An allegory means using a medium such as art or song to depict a particular idea. This book talks about using allegory in love, in the form of ‘courtly love’. Courtly love meant that which was full of chivalry. For example, a knight performing heroic acts to win over a lady love. The book traces the growth of courtly love through its various stages. The first two chapters cover this aspect, while the rest consist of poems about the same.

Rehabilitations and Other Essays

Year of Publishing – 1939

No synopsis available.

The Personal Heresy: A Controversy (with E. M. W. Tillyard)

This book contains six essays. It has been co-authored by C. S. Lewis and Eustace Mandeville Wetenhall Tillyard, with each having written three essays. The main topic is about the authors’ differing points of view about poetry. Tillyard believed that poetry comes from within the poet, and that the poet is superior to other people. Lewis believed that poetry could be created by anyone, and believed in writing poems that could be understood by everyone.

The Problem of Pain

Year of Publishing – 1940

C. S. Lewis was a complete Christian at heart, and this book deals with the aspect of suffering explained from a Christian point of view. Questions such as why God allows evil to manifest the earth are raised in this book. It beautifully tries to combine the concepts of suffering with the Christian belief that God is kind and fair to all. A wonderfully written piece of literature.

A Preface to Paradise Lost

This immensely popular book is a take on John Milton’s famous – Paradise Lost. This piece of writing has Lewis questioning why only ‘great poets’ can give their judgment about Paradise Lost, and also why there is a need to write poetry in a way that brings out a typical response in all the readers, instead of just being direct. These and many more amusing things are included in A Preface to Paradise Lost, making it an enjoyable read.

The Abolition of Man

The Abolition of Man deals with the subject of education, and lists the importance of not doing away with or forgetting its natural value, along with the unpleasant consequences lest that occurs. Under the title, you will find the words “Reflections on education with special reference to the teaching of English in the upper forms of schools”. The book was read for the very first time as a three-part lecture at King’s College, Newcastle.

Year of Publishing – 1947

This book was written in 1947 and then revised in 1960. Here, Lewis addresses the possibility of miracles actually taking place. He blames modern thinkers for making people believe that miracles are not real and cannot happen. He says that we must first confirm whether miracles can really take place, and the practical possibility of it.

Arthurian Torso

Year of Publishing – 1948

The sub-title of this book is “Containing the Posthumous Fragment of the ‘Figure of Arthur'”. It is written by Charles Williams, and contains a commentary by Lewis about the Arthurian poems composed by Williams.

Mere Christianity

Year of Publishing – 1952

This book has been inspired by radio talk shows conducted by BBC between 1942-44. It has been divided into three sections: The Case for Christianity (1942), Christian Behavior (1943), and Beyond Personality (1944). It is based on theology, which is an analytical study about God and religion.

Major British Writers, Volume I

English literature in the sixteenth century excluding drama.

In this book, Lewis divides the literature of the sixteenth century into three separate periods, the Late Medieval, Drab, and Golden. It talks about the current and changing scenario in English literature. The first book deals with what is left of the Medieval period in the late Medieval. The second and third books deal with changes in literature in the Drab and Golden ages.

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

This is an autobiography written by C. S. Lewis, although it does not recount his entire life. The main theme of this book is Lewis’s discovery of Joy, and how he gives it his own meaning in his life. He also describes his journey from being an atheist to becoming a believer and converting to Christianity.

Reflections on the Psalms

This book is a discussion about the Psalms in the Bible. It will be easy to read for those who know the Bible very well, because otherwise a reader will have to keep referring to it from time to time. Although 150 Psalms are discussed in this book, not all are noted in it. The Coverdale Prayer Book has been the source for most of the Psalms quoted in this book.

The Four Loves

This book explores the concept of love and its true nature from a Christian point of view. Lewis says that there are three types of love: need love, gift love, and appreciative love. He also focuses on the four aspects of love, which are friendship, affection, unconditional love, and romance. The book was based on a 1958 radio talk show that was quite open about the issue of sex, being a little ahead of its time.

Studies in Words

Year of Publishing – 1960

This is a very interesting book because it deals with the study of words. In this book, Lewis traces the history of some commonly used words like sad, conscious, nature, sense, wit, etc., and traces their history right to their origins not only in English, but also in other ancient languages. It also studies the changes in meanings the words went through, and how there is a strong chance that the meaning today and the meaning before may be different.

The World’s Last Night and Other Essays

This is a collection of essays written by Lewis and published in 1960, three years before his death. The main essay in this book is about the return of Jesus Christ to earth, or his ‘second coming’. Some other topics covered in it revolve around prayer, religion, and belief.

An Experiment in Criticism

Here, a very interesting concept about the quality of a book is observed. Lewis says that a book must not be judged by just its content, but more emphasis must be given on the type of reader. He says that there are readers who will read a book just once or condemn a book that is not well-written, and then there are readers who will learn something new every time they re-read the same book, and will also try to gain more knowledge from a poorly written one. This is because they approach it without judgment and a preconceived notion about its ‘quality’.

A Grief Observed

This book is about the grief and trials the author deals with after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. When the book was first published, Lewis used a pen name, N.W. Clerk. In the book, he refers to his wife as H (her first name was Helen). It is based on a set of notebooks that Lewis had kept, wherein he used to write about his deep sadness upon his bereavement. It was re-published under his name only in 1963, after his death.

They Asked for a Paper: Papers and Addresses

Year of Publishing – 1962

This book is a compilation of many essays that were written by Lewis. This was one of his last works before his death in 1963. The essays include various topics like literature, society, social sciences, theology, etc.

The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature

This book was published after Lewis’s death. It deals with many aspects, but primarily the model of the universe. Lewis describes how the universe was believed to be in the middle ages, and how it was a notion that it was not unending, but in fact definite, and the Medieval belief about the science and nature of the universe.

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature

Year of Publishing – 1966

This book is a rather unique compilation of many essays, reviews, and articles written by Lewis. These are some articles that may be otherwise difficult to find, making this book a collector’s item. Lewis takes some works of Milton, Spenser, Dante, and other great writers as examples to explain the methods of criticism that were employed in olden times, giving the reader a proper understanding of these works.

Spenser’s Images of Life

This is a compilation of many notes written by C. S. Lewis, and was published by Alastair Fowler. It talks about God as being a ‘glad creator’ of the universe, and also talks about someone called the Faerie Queene as being a grand celebration of everything in this universe. It is one of the lengthiest books by this author.

Letters to an American Lady

Year of Publishing – 1967

This is a collection of a series of letters that Lewis wrote to an American woman, whom he strangely never met. It ranges across a vast array of topics, universal to downright trivial. It gives readers a look at the other side of Lewis that they never knew. His personal thoughts and views are present here for everyone to see, to know him as someone more than just a great writer, a human being.

Christian Reflections

This collection of 14 papers is all about Christianity. In this book, Lewis tries to make a point that though there are different parts in Christianity, it is still one religion and everyone is united under it. The book talks about Christianity and culture, music, literature, ethics, Psalms, and many more topics. Lewis tries to establish a common ground for everyone within the vastness of Christianity.

Selected Literary Essays

Year of Publishing – 1969

This book is a compilation of twenty essays that were written by Lewis between 1932 – 62. These essays are some of his most important literary works to date.

God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Year of Publishing – 1971

This book, as the title suggests, is a collection of essays about theology and ethics. It covers topics related to science and religion, Christianity, and the challenges that it faced during the transition of the world to the Modernist era.

Of Other Worlds

Year of Publishing – 1982

This book is divided into two parts: essays and stories. The essay section consists of those written on science fiction, fairies, criticism, and some more. The story section contains short stories that have been written by Lewis.

The Business Of Heaven:Daily Readings From the Writings of C. S. Lewis

Year of Publishing – 1984

This book contains one piece of Lewis’s writing for each day. The writings are inspiring and comforting, and prove to be a wonderful read. Some of the topics covered here are love, pain, and the impact that prayer can have on us. The excerpts are taken from some of his popular books.

Present Concerns

Year of Publishing – 1986

This is a collection of 19 essays that ranges in scope from values to literature to spirituality. Some topics included here are about chivalry, living in a world where everyone and everything is so different from what it used to be, and even about the English language and democratic education.

All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C. S. Lewis 1922 – 27

Year of Publishing – 1991

This is a diary written by the author when he was quite young, between the ages of 24 and 29. This book gives readers an insight into the working of the mind of a young Lewis, who was very different from the sensible and grown-up writer we see otherwise; how the dilemmas of his life then were very different from those a few years later.

Compelling Reason: Essays on Ethics and Theology

Year of Publishing – 1996

This book is also a compilation of essays on theology, religion, and science. Lewis said that using logic and reason when it comes to faith and beliefs is the way to go. He also believed that baseless and unscientific beliefs can cause more harm than good.

Essay Collection: Literature, Philosophy and Short Stories

Year of Publishing – 2000

This book contains a total of sixty essays written by Lewis on various subjects, and also some of his short stories. The essays range across a wide variety of topics, from literature to philosophy and history. The short stories included here are all pieces of fiction.

Essay Collection: Faith, Christianity and the Church

The essays included in this volume are all religious, and are to do with the church, prayer, faith, and God.

Collected Letters, Vol. I: Family Letters 1905 – 1931

This book is a collection of letters from Lewis’s childhood days, and the time he was called to war. They include letters to his friends, describing the war, and also Lewis’s thoughts about God and religion. They give the reader an insight into how these letters went on to influence many of his future writings.

Collected Letters, Vol. II: Books, Broadcasts and War 1931 – 1949

Year of Publishing – 2004

The second volume of collected letters include those written by Lewis to his new friends, known as the Inklings, which also included J. R. R. Tolkien. By this time, Lewis had written The Allegory of Love, which had become quite popular. It also includes his correspondence with his brother Warnie, who was off fighting during World War II.

Collected Letters, Vol. III: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950 – 1963

Year of Publishing – 2007

The final volume includes more letters written by Lewis to his friends, and also talks about the topics he was interested in writing about. It also includes the story of his marriage, and the time he was writing his first book in the infamous Narnia series.

This was a list of all the books, essays, and letters written by Clive Staple Lewis , in the order of their publishing year. There are very few writers who can make you think for days about a single piece of writing or influence you to do something out of the ordinary, and Mr. Lewis is one of them.

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C.S. Lewis died 60 years ago. Here are 10 of his best works

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the author’s death, here’s a list of some of his most famous works.

By Eva Terry

C.S. Lewis died on Nov. 22, 1963, at 64 years old.

During his lifetime, he published 37 books and many more essays, taught English literature at Oxford University and served as chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, per the C.S. Lewis website . He is widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.

In honor of his life, here’s a list of 10 of his best works.

1. ‘Learning in War-Time’ (sermon)

Published in: 1939.

“Learning in War-Time” is a sermon Lewis gave at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Oxford, near the beginning of World War II. It discusses the purpose of education amid the horrors of war.

He poses the questions:

• “What is the use of beginning a task to which we have so little chance of finishing?
• “If we ourselves should happen not to be interrupted by death or military service, why should we — indeed how can we — continue to take an interest in these placid occupations when the lives of our friends and the liberties of Europe are in the balance? Is it not like fiddling while Rome burns?”

The sermon argues that if education is delayed because of conflict, it will never happen. Lewis also refutes the claim that culture makes someone more spiritual. He believes that closeness to God comes from the attitude you adopt.

Notable quotations: “To be ignorant and simple now — not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground — would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen.”

“Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.”

2. ‘Mere Christianity’

Published in: 1952.

Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity” got its start on a BBC radio show during which Lewis gave 15-minute talks under the title of “Right and Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe.”

Lewis did four series for BBC from 1941 to 1944 and, in total, spoke for nearly six hours on air, according to the Gospel Coalition . His remarks turned out to be extremely popular and one broadcast brought in 1.5 million listeners.

The radio segments were compiled into “Mere Christianity,” which has three sections titled, “Right and Wong as a Clue to the meaning of the Universe,” “What Christians Believe” and “Christian Morality.” In them, Lewis discusses the existence of God and why God matters to the human experience.

He explores faith and virtues from a Christian perspective and discusses what it really means to be “born again.”

Notable quotation: “You must ask for God’s help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.”

3. ‘The Great Divorce’

Published in: 1945.

Lewis wrote “The Great Divorce” in response to William Blake’s “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” which argues for the necessity of both good and evil in the world. “The Great Divorce” explores what the afterlife will be like for people who lived good lives and for those who didn’t.

The story begins at a bus stop in Hell. Nearly everyone but the narrator is angry, and they shove their way onto a bus headed to heaven. “Solid People” plead with the ghosts from Hell to stay in Heaven, and the narrator observes nearly everyone unwilling to let go of their pride and stay. Lewis proposes that going to Heaven or Hell is a choice ultimately made by the individual.

Notable quotation: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”

4. ‘The Screwtape Letters’

Published in: 1942.

This book is a series of letters between a senior demon, Screwtape, and a novice, Wormwood, as they try to lead a human toward Hell. Lewis explores various aspects of morality and spirituality through the lens of a demon trying to get a human to sin.

Like “Mere Christianity,” this book is less of a story driven by plot and more of an exploration of what it means to be human.

Notable quotation: “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts, ... Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”

5. ‘The Problem With Pain’

Published in: 1940.

This book explores “why a good and all-powerful God allows pain in the world,” per Emerging Scholars Network . He challenges the argument that, if God were good, He would make sure all of his creations were happy and would solve all of the heartache in the world.

Lewis splits his arguments into chapters discussing various aspects of pain and concludes they are a result of people’s free will. Though humanity consistently misuses free will, Lewis asserts that it’s only through free will that love can genuinely exist.

Notable quotation: “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

6. ‘Perelandra’

Published in: 1943.

“Perelandra” is the second book in Lewis’ sci-fi space trilogy and references the Bible’s creation story. In this book, the protagonist Elwin Ransom is largely based off of Lewis’ close friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, and works as a philologist at Cambridge University.

Ransom is sent to a world of floating islands and meets the planet’s version of Eve, a green-skinned woman called “the Lady.” Evil Professor Weston arrives on the planet after Ransom and introduces evil into the world for the first time.

Notable quotation: “The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths — but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path.”

7. ‘Till We Have Faces’

Published in: 1956.

“Till We Have Faces” is Lewis’ rendition of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche’s older sister Orual narrates. Psyche is known for her beauty, while Orual is known for her ugliness.

The girls’ father decides to sacrifice Psyche to appease the god of the Mountain. Orual finds out that Psyche isn’t actually dead.

Carnegie Library describes the book like this: “In Lewis’ version, the story is narrated from the perspective of Orual, Psyche’s older sister, who is known as much for her ugliness as Psyche is for her beauty. What starts with Orual’s bold accusations against the gods and demand for answers turns into a self-revelatory journey for her as she wrestles with her understanding of love and truth and justice and the question of whether we can discern anything correctly until we remove our ‘veils.’”

Notable quotation: “Holy places are dark places. It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them. Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.”

8. ‘Narnia’

Published in: 1950 to 1956.

There are seven books in the Narnia series, and each one tells a slightly different story involving the magical land of Narnia, where animals talk and magic exists.

The first book, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,” introduces Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, who had to leave their home due to air raids during World War II. While the four children are staying with a professor in the English countryside, Lucy finds a magical wardrobe that acts as a portal to the fantastical realm of Narnia. At first, she ventures in alone and befriends Mr. Tumnus. She brings her siblings back with her, and they find out they are destined to end the evil White Witch’s reign.

Notable quotation: “But very quickly they all became grave again: for, as you know, there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.”

9. ‘A Grief Observed’

Published in: 1961.

This book is Lewis’ reflective account of his grief after his wife, Joy Davidman, passed away. Through his journal entries, readers see Lewis’ journey through the initial shock and intense pain, as well as his questioning of faith and eventual acceptance.

Notable quotations: “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.

“At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.”

10. ‘Miracles’

Published in: 1947.

Books at a Glance describes the book like this: “This book explores the philosophical and theological issues that surround the subject of miracles. Lewis looks at the relationship between worldviews, probability, history, science, and theology. He examines different conceptions of “Nature” and reveals how our assumptions have created misunderstandings about the miraculous. He also points out numerous missteps, logical fallacies, and unwarranted presuppositions that keep people from believing in miracles.”

To Lewis, miracles do not defy the laws of nature, because God made nature and miracles. He concludes that miracles are possible, plausible, probable and fitting; they are part of the way that the universe works.

Notable quotation: “Nothing can seem extraordinary until you have discovered what is ordinary. Belief in miracles, far from depending on an ignorance of the laws of nature, is only possible in so far as those laws are known.”

10 of the Best Books by C. S. Lewis

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) – known as ‘Jack’ to his friends and family – is best-known for his seven children’s fantasy novels set in the land of Narnia, C. S. Lewis wrote a number of other works – fiction and non-fiction, science fiction and literary criticism – which have become classics in their field.

Below, we introduce ten of the very best works of C. S. Lewis, which any Lewis fan should seek out. They are not arranged in any preferential order.

Disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate, we get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

1. The Allegory of Love .

Lewis’s most famous book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , is often described as Christian allegory – although Lewis himself denied that it was an allegory .

Nevertheless, over a decade before he published that first Narnia book, Lewis had already made his name as a literary critic with this 1936 book which argues that medieval courtly love poetry did more to revolutionise our conception of romantic love than the Renaissance.

2. The Magician’s Nephew .

Although it was the sixth published Narnia novel, in 1955, this novel was a prequel, set before the events of the earlier published novels, and so is often named as the ‘first’ book in the Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis took the name Narnia from an old map which included Narni, a region of Italy).

One of Lewis’s inspirations for writing a prequel was a query from a friend about the lantern which stands in the middle of Narnia, in the place where Lucy meets the faun Mr Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe .

This novel, then, is a kind of Old Testament creation story, telling how Aslan created the world of Narnia 1,000 years before the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , thanks in part to a lantern taken from our world (London in the year 1900, to be precise).

3. The Screwtape Letters .

This 1942 novel is a work of Christian apologetics, and takes the form of a series of letters written by Screwtape, a demon, to his nephew, Wormwood. The novel is, first and foremost, about temptation and the Christian’s responsibility to resist it. It’s witty and satirical while Lewis also raises some interesting theological questions through the epistolary form.

4. Out of the Silent Planet .

The first in a loose trilogy of science-fiction novels Lewis wrote, whose protagonist (a philologist) was based on Lewis’s friend and fellow Inkling, J. R. R. Tolkien. Published in 1938, it’s Lewis’s earliest great work of fiction and a planetary romance influenced by David Lindsay’s (odd) 1920 novel A Voyage to Arcturus .

Although its pacing leaves a lot to be desired and it isn’t exactly action-packed, it’s a noteworthy early work of British science fiction.

5. The Problem of Pain .

Published two years before The Screwtape Letters , in 1940, this book takes another theological issue – in this case, the problem of pain and suffering and why a loving God would allow it to exist in the world – and explores it, but this time in a non-fiction work.

6. The Discarded Image.

Another work of non-fiction, this was his last book, published posthumously in 1964 following Lewis’ death in November the previous year (famously, he died on the same day that JFK was assassinated – the same day on which Aldous Huxley also died).

It’s an accessible and highly readable introduction to the various philosophical and scientific belief systems underpinning medieval and Renaissance literature, shot through with Lewis’s strong opinions on the literature of both periods.

7. The Silver Chair .

Along with The Horse and His Boy , this is probably the most neglected of the seven Chronicles of Narnia , although it’s less easy to see why in the case of The Silver Chair . It doesn’t feature any of the core Pevensie children, instead focusing on Eustace Scrubb (from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ) and his schoolmate Jill Pole, who escape school bullies by entering the world of Narnia.

A cast of some of Lewis’s best characters, including Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle and the villainous Lady of the Green Kirtle, make this one of Lewis’s best Narnia novels.

8. Prince Caspian .

The second published novel in the Chronicles of Narnia , Prince Caspian was published in 1951 and sees the four Pevensie children who appeared in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe return to Narnia to help the titular prince to win the crown. There are some nice references to events and objects which featured in the first novel, which was set some 1,300 years earlier in Narnian history.

9. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader .

This is the ‘sea story’ in the seven-part Chronicles of Narnia : this time, it is not a wardrobe but a painting of a ship that acts as the portal through to Narnia. Lucy and Edmund, the two youngest Pevensie children, are transported back into Narnia along with their cousin, the unpopular Eustance Clarence Scrubb, a boy so objectionable that he ‘almost deserved’ his name.

The third Narnia book to be published and the fifth in terms of the series’ internal chronology, it’s one of the most exciting adventures in the whole heptalogy.

10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe .

As mentioned above, this 1950 novel, the first published book in the Chronicles of Narnia , is viewed by most as an allegory for the New Testament story of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Four siblings, staying at an eccentric professor’s house to escape the air raids of the Second World War, discover a portal at the back of a wardrobe, which leads through to the snow-covered land of Narnia where it is ‘always winter but never Christmas’.  The book, published in 1950, launched the fantasy series for which Lewis is now best-known. We have analysed this classic novel in depth here .

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C.S. Lewis Books In Order

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Clive Staples Lewis was a British poet, author, academic, and a lot more. Born in Belfast in 1898, he was a bright, imaginative young boy with a knack for story-telling. He was stubborn as well, as was seen when his dog Jacksie was hit by a car. At the time, the young author was a mere four years old. Following the incident, he refused to answer to any name but that of his dog. In fact, those close to him referred to as him ‘Jack’ for the rest of his life!

Being fascinated by tales of Beatrix Potter, the budding author soon penned down a couple of his own stories with the help of his older brother. Creating the world of ‘Boxen’, they reveled in a universe ruled by animals. However, with time, he soon took to various other forms of literary expression as well, incorporating them into his works. These helped him emote better. For example, he felt that his love for Celtic legends and Norse mythology was best expressed in Opera and epic poetry instead – born in Belfast, a part of his heart always belonged to Ireland.

However, a defining factor in Lewis’ life was religion. Instilled into him at a young age from his dear mother, he soon turned atheistic. His mother, who was the daughter of an Anglican priest, tried to enrich him with the principles of her religion. But even as atheistic beliefs began to fester, the advent of the first World War only reaffirmed them. Moreover, her death in 1908 left a void within him that was not easily filled. This only served to accelerate the atheistic outlook. As the young man enrolled into army training, he shared a room with another cadet fondly referred to as ‘Paddy’. It is said the two made a pact that if either died during war, the other would take care of both the families. As it so happened, Paddy lost his life and Lewis stuck to his word. This is how the void left by his mother was finally filled by Mrs. Jane Moore. Paddy’s mother became the mother-figure that Lewis always wished for. With a distant and dominating father that he was never close to, he looked to Mrs. Moore for support. It was especially necessary following the horrors of trench warfare as he battled depression and physical injuries. Their bond remained close and lasted until her dying days. In fact, they also lived together along with Mrs. Moore’s daughter, Maureen, until the 1940s when the older woman had to be hospitalized. As she succumbed to dementia, she needed to be admitted into a nursing home. Even there, Lewis visited her every day until her death.

In later life, he married Joy Davidman – an American author. Viewing her as a close friend and his only intellectual equal, the marriage was one of convenience meant to allow her a continued stay in England. However, the relationship began to develop and the two soon sought a proper Christian marriage even as Davidman was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. The ceremony was performed in 1957, and she finally succumbed to the disease in 1960. Following this, Lewis raised both her sons as his own.

Despite his predominantly atheistic outlook in earlier life, in 1931 (perhaps following the persuasion of his close friend – the legendary J. R. R. Tolkien) Lewis reverted to the Anglican Church once more. But even in his conversion to theism, he was perhaps the most unwilling devotee there could be. Following this, the curious man grew ever interested in Christian myths, and this is evident in one of his best-known works, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’.

Writings: While Lewis has written a commendable list of works, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ remain the most popular. Set in the magical realm of the same name, it tells the tale of mythical beasts, talking animals, and various children. Each of these is central to the unfolding of the plot, and yet none are constant through all 7 of the books. Apart from drawing inspiration from Christianity, the books also freely borrow characters from Greek and Roman mythology along with English and Irish fairy tales.

Many of the books in this series have also been adapted into TV shows and animated movies. One of the most popular books in the series, and also the first in chronological order, ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ is among those adapted into a popular feature film as well. Beginning in the midst of the second world war, this book follows the evacuation of the four Pevensie siblings into the countryside. There they accidentally manage to cross over into the fantastical world of Narnia through a magic closet, and that’s where the adventure begins. As Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy make friends, fight foes, and engage in battle, the tale is an adventure woven into words. Throughout the novel Aslan the lion, who is also the rightful ruler of the land, becomes their friend and guide. He has a special bond with the youngest of the four, Lucy, who can also be considered the primary narrator of the tale. Her loyalty, innocence, and bravery are what eventually earn her the title of ‘Lucy the Valiant’.

Here, Lewis uses the concept of parallel worlds as the Pevensie siblings switch between the war-torn Earth and Narnia. As it so happens, time also moves at a much slower pace in the latter than in the former. Therefore all their adventures in the magical realm amount to only minutes passed in their countryside escape.

This disparity in time is what sets the tone for the second novel in the series. Whisked away into the magical realm after merely a year, centuries have passed in Narnia. As the stage is set for a battle for the rightful heir, the Pevensie siblings take up their positions once more to fight the evil that has taken over. With the return of Aslan, the four young rulers of the land jump into the new adventure to set things right. Thus, ‘Prince Caspian’ results in another fantastical tale of excitement. With this novel being adapted into a popular feature film as well as television show, these wonderful tales have proven to be a big hit with the audience.

Therefore, as Lewis was laid to rest in 1963 – a week before his 65th birthday – the unforgettable author has left behind a treasure trove of works guaranteed to inspire people for generations to come!

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C.S. Lewis (b. November 29th, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland--d. November 22nd, 1963) was an Irish academic, novelist, and poet. His novels generally have Christian themes, and his best known work includes the The Chronicles of Narnia series (including The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and the Space Trilogy novels, a science fiction series. He was also a prolific academic writer and focused on the literature of the Middle Ages.

• Books By C.S. Lewis

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Mere Christianity

The Screwtape Letters

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Magician’s Nephew

• The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order)
• The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order)
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• George MacDonald
• Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Brennan Manning
• J.I. Packer
• Donald Miller
• R.C. Sproul
• John Bunyan
• G.K. Chesterton
• Ravi Zacharias
• Charles W. Colson
• Augustine of Hippo
• Timothy J. Keller
• Elizabeth Yates
• Francis A. Schaeffer
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Jean Lee Latham
• Ralph Cosham

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Prince Caspian

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50 Surprising C.S. Lewis Quotes You Didn't Know

• G. Connor Salter SEO Editor
• Updated Jan 30, 2024

SPECIAL OFFER : Enroll in this free online course on C.S. Lewis today!

While C.S. Lewis died comparatively young, a week before his 65th birthday, he left behind enough words to fill two lifetimes. He published over 40 books, including classics like Mere Christianity and the Chronicles of Narnia. After his death, between 20 and 30 books of new material (letters, poems, essays) were published, including   God in the Dock   and Letters to Malcolm .

While Lewis has been well-known for years, interest in him is resurging. Recently, his life has been reimagined in the movies The Most Reluctant Convert and Freud’s Last Session and two more movies are in production . If you haven’t explored his work yet, here are some of his many thought-provoking words about faith, reading, and other topics.

Further Reading:  10 C.S. Lewis Books You Haven’t Read Yet

(An earlier version of this article appeared as “20 Surprising C.S. Lewis Quotes and Facts You Didn’t Know”. Some quotes from this expanded version have appeared in  “25 Inspiring C.S. Lewis Quotes That Shaped My Faith”  by Debbie McDaniel ).

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/John Chillingworth/Stringer

C.S. Lewis Quotes about God

1. “The place for which He designs them in His scheme of things is the place they are made for. When they reach it their nature is fulfilled and their happiness attained: a broken bone in the universe has been set, the anguish is over.” — The Problem of Pain

2. “For it is a dreadful truth that the state of (as you say) “having to depend on God” is what we all dread most. And of course that just shows how very much, how almost exclusively, we have been depending on things.” — Letters to an American Lady

3. “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”  — The Four Loves

4. “To be God – to be like God and to share His goodness in creaturely response – to be miserable – these are the only three alternatives. If we will not learn to eat the only food the universe grows – the only food that any possible universe can ever grow – then we must starve eternally.” — The Problem of Pain

5. “But there is a difficulty about disagreeing with God. He is the source from which all your reasoning power comes: you could not be right and He wrong any more than a stream can rise higher than its own source. When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on.” — Mere Christianity

6. “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.” —  Surprised by Joy

7. “… if it shall please God that I write more books, blessed be He. If it shall please him not, blessed be He.” — The Latin Letters of C.S. Lewis

8. “You cannot love a fellow creature fully till you love God.” The Great Divorce

9. “If you ask why we should obey God, in the last resort the answer is, ‘I am.’ To know God is to know that our obedience is due to Him.” — Surprised by Joy

10. “If God is Love , He is, by definition, something more than mere kindness. And it appears, from all the records, that though He has often rebuked us and condemned us, He has never regarded us with contempt. He has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.” — The Problem of Pain  

Further Reading:  Who Were the Inklings Besides C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien?

Photo Credit: Ingo Stiller on  Unsplash

C.S. Lewis Quotes about Christianity

11. “When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world.” — Mere Christianity

12. “I couldn’t believe that ninety-nine religions were completely false and the remaining one true. In reality, Christianity is primarily the fulfillment of the Jewish religion, but also the fulfilment of what was vaguely hinted in all the religions at their best. What was vaguely seen in them all comes into focus in Christianity – just as God himself comes into focus by becoming a man.” — The Grand Miracle

13. “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen - not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — Mere Christianity

14. “Christianity really does two things about conditions here and now in this world: (1) It tries to make them as good as possibly, i.e., to reform them; but also (2) It fortifies you against them so far as they remain bad.” — God in the Dock

15. “All people, whether Christian or not, must be prepared to live a life of discomfort. It is impossible to accept Christianity for the sake of finding comfort: but the Christian tries to lay himself open to the will of God, to do what God wants him to do.” — God in the Dock

16. “I hope no reader will suppose that ‘mere’ Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions—as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms… When you have reached your own room be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall.” — Mere Christianity

17. “Of course we have been taught what to do with suffering—offer it in Christ to God as our little, little share of Christ’s suffering—but it is so hard to do.” — Letters to An American Lady

18. “ ... Look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” — Mere Christianity

19. “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” — The Weight of Glory

20. “The Christian doctrine that there is no ‘ salvation ’ by works done according to the moral law is a fact of daily experience. Back or on we must go. But there is no going on simply by our own efforts.” — Present Concerns  

Further Reading:  25 Inspiring C.S. Lewis Quotes that Shaped My Faith

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C.S. Lewis Quotes on How Humans Relate to God

21. “These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear things about ourselves and the universe we live in.” — Mere Christianity

22. “It is the law of the natural universe that no being can exist on its own resources. Everyone, everything is hopelessly indebted to everyone and everything else.” — The Grand Miracle

23. “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” — Mere Christianity

24. “. . . no natural feelings are high or low, holy or unholy, in themselves. They are all holy when God’s hand is on the rein. They all go bad when they set up on their own and make themselves into false gods.” – a character in The Great Divorce

25. “For change is not progress unless the core remains unchanged. A small oak grows into big oak: if it became a beech, that would not be growth, but mere change.” — The Grand Miracle

26. “You don’t know in advance whether God is going to set you to do something difficult or painful, or something that you will quite like; and some people of heroic mold are disappointed when the job doled out to them turns out to be something quite nice. But you must be prepared for the unpleasant things and the discomforts.” — God in the Dock

27. “Now the proper good of a creature is to surrender itself to its Creator . . . We are not merely imperfect creators who must be improved: we are, as Newman said, rebels who must lay down our arms.” —  The Problem of Pain   

28. “. . . the only thing one can usually change in one’s situation is oneself. And yet one can’t change that either—only ask Our Lord to do so, keeping on meanwhile with one’ s sacraments , prayers, and ordinary rule of life.” —   Letters to an American Lady  

29. “Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.” — Mere Christianity

30. “Human will becomes truly creative and truly our own when it is wholly God’ s, and this one of the many senses in which he that loses his soul shall find it.” — The Problem of Pain

Further Reading:  5 Books by C.S. Lewis that Everyone Should Read

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C.S. Lewis Quotes about Apologetics

31. “We are to defend Christianity itself—the faith preached by the Apostles, attested by the Martyrs, embodied in the Creeds, expounded by the Fathers. This must be clearly distinguished from the whole of what any one us may think about God and man… When we mention our personal opinions we must always make quite clear the difference between them and the faith itself.” — The Grand Miracle

32. “We must attack the enemy’s line of communication. What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects – with their Christianity latent. You can see this most easily if you look at it the other way round. Our faith is not likely to be shaken by any book on Hinduism. But if whenever we read an elementary book on Geology, Botany, Politics, or Astronomy, we found that its implications were Hindu, that would shake us.” — The Grand Miracle

33. “I have come to the conclusion that if you cannot translate your thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts were confused. Power to translate is the test of having really understood one’s own meaning. A passage from some theological work for translation into the vernacular ought to be a compulsory paper in every ordination examination.” — The Grand Miracle

34. “When I began, Christianity came before the great mass of my unbelieving fellow-countrymen either in the highly emotional form offered by revivalists or in the unintelligible language of highly cultured clergymen. Most men were reached by neither. My task was therefore simply that of a translator – one turning Christian doctrine, or what he believed to be such, into the vernacular, into language that unscholarly people would attend to and could understand.” — God in the Dock

35. “It is absolutely disgraceful that we expect missionaries to the Bantus to learn Bantu but never ask whether our missionaries to the Americans or English can speak American or English. Any fool can write learned language. The vernacular is the real test. If you can’t write your faith into it, then either you don’t understand it or you don’t believe it.” — God in the Dock

Further Reading: The Enduring Legacy of C.S. Lewis

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C.S. Lewis Quotes about Suffering

36. “I thought I could describe a state ; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.” — A Grief Observed

37. “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” — The Problem of Pain

38. “We are told that even those tribulations which fall upon us by necessity, if embraced for Christ’s sake, become as meritorious as voluntary sufferings and every missed meal can be converted into a fast if taken in the right way.” — Letters to an American Lady

39. “. . . the possibility of pain is inherent in the very existence of a world where souls can meet.” — The Problem of Pain

40. “God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down. ” — A Grief Observed

Further Reading: 5 C.S. Lewis Quotes to Encourage You in Life's Great Adventures

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C.S. Lewis Quotes about Writing

41. “Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague word. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.” — Letter to Joan Lancaster ( Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis: Volume 3 )

42. “Whenever you are fed up with life, start writing: ink is the great cure for all human ills, as I have found out long ago.” — Letter to Arthur Greeves ( Collected Letters Volume 1 )

43. “Be sure you know the meaning (or meanings) of every word you use.” — Letter to Thomasine ( Collected Letters Volume 3 ) 

44. “The reader, we must remember, does not start by knowing what we mean. If our words are ambiguous, our meaning will escape him. I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate open to the left or the right, the readers will most certainly go into it.” — God in the Dock

45. “No man who values originality will ever be original. But try to tell the truth as you see it, try to do any bit of work as well as it can be done for the work’s sake, and what men call originality will come unsought.” — The Weight of Glory

Further Reading: C.S. Lewis: Chronicles of an Apologist

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C.S. Lewis Quotes on Reading Well

46. “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.” — God in the Dock

47. “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” — On Stories

48. “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty. . .” — Of Other Worlds

49. “I now enjoy Tolstoy and Jane Austen and Trollope as well as fairy tales and I call that growth: if I had to lose the fairy tales in order to acquire the novelists, I would not say that I had grown but only that I had changed. A tree grows because it adds rings: a train doesn’t grow by leaving one station behind and puffing on to the next.” — On Stories

50. “I’m not quite sure what you meant by ‘silly adventure stories without any point.’ If they are silly, then having a point won’t save them. But if they are good in themselves, and if by a  ‘point’ you mean some truth about the real world which one can take ou t of the story, I’m not sure that I agree. At least, I think that looking for a ‘point’ in that sense may prevent one from getting the real effect of the story in itself—like listening too hard for the words in singing which isn’t meant to be listened to that way (like an anthem in a chorus).” —  Letter to Phyllida (Collected Letters Volume 3)

Further Reading: Why Should You Read C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy?

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This article is part of our larger Inspiring Quotes resource meant to encourage and strengthen your faith.  Visit our most popular quotes by well known Christians and theologians to find more inspiration. Remember, the Holy Spirit can work through us when we have faith and share it with others! Please pass along any quotes that touch your heart because you never know light you’ll shine on someone else’s dark day!

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The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics: Boxed Set Paperback – International Edition, September 13, 2012

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• Language English
• Publisher HarperCollins Publishers (Digital)
• Publication date September 13, 2012
• Dimensions 5.08 x 4.84 x 7.8 inches
• ISBN-10 000750019X
• ISBN-13 978-0008205041
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins Publishers (Digital) (September 13, 2012)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 000750019X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008205041
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.66 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 4.84 x 7.8 inches
• #15 in Essays (Books)
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• #238 in Classic Literature & Fiction

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Past Factory

Stories From Childhood We Can't Wait To Share With Our Kids

Posted: May 27, 2024 | Last updated: May 27, 2024

It's fair to say that most kids have a different relationship with reading than their peers or siblings. Some children struggle with reading and avoid it whenever possible, while other kids seem to be naturally born bookworms.

One way to ensure your child develops a healthy (and early) relationship with reading is to offer them literature that they will actually enjoy. Consider our tailor-made list of books from our childhood that we can't wait to share with our children.

The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis (1950)

Described as "a story for children" on the cover of the book, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a fantastical adventure for children who are branching into the chapter book stages of their reading level.

The mythical tale follows four children who disappeared into a magical world hidden behind the doors of an old wardrobe. The world of Narnia is intriguing, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.

Charlotte's Web - E.B White (1952)

The story born on a farm about an intelligent spider who stunned the world with her silken messages is a must-read for kids.

The topics covered include love, family, loss, sacrifice, and empathy, wrapped up in a brilliantly illustrated tale about a girl, a spider, and some pig .

Read More: '70s One-Hit Wonders That Might Trigger Some Major Nostalgia

James And The Giant Peach - Roald Dahl (1961)

Roald Dahl's beloved classic about an enchanted peach was the first of two books that he dedicated to his daughter Olivia. Unfortunately, she died one year after it was published at the age of seven.

His story about a giant magical peach and the orphan boy who climbed inside it still captivates children everywhere, sharing Olivia's favorite story with the world.

The Berenstain Bears Series - The Berenstain Family (1962)

The Berenstain Bears followed the story of a family of bears living in a tree in Bear Country and all the silly family challenges they encountered.

The Berenstain family co-authored the series, beginning with Stan and Jan Berenstain in 1962 and continued by their son Mike in 2012. It's no surprise that the family central themes really ring true in this series!

The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein (1964)

The Giving Tree has the power to break your heart and make it feel full at the same time.

The story is a brilliant anecdote for children about the nature of giving, and the ways that the earth continually provides for humans, even when we take advantage of it. The lesson rings even more true now, nearly 60 years later.

Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume (1972)

The quirky, relatable stories of sibling misfortune that happen between fourth-grader Peter and his two-and-a-half-year-old brother Fudge is on-brand for a lot of school-aged kids.

Children are able to laugh along to the chaos of Fudge's antics, but also feel sympathetic for Peter at the same time. Dribble the turtle is the real loser in the story, poor guy.

Where The Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein (1974)

This book is a wonderful collection of poems that are all different shapes and sizes.

The short stories told in rhyming words are easy to digest and so fun to animate when reading out loud.

Bridge To Terabithia - Katherine Paterson (1977)

Katherine Paterson's novel about the power of imagination and the bond of young friendship was assigned to many student reading lists.

For students like myself, the emotional weight of the book still feels heavy years later.

Sideways Stories From Wayside School - Louis Sachar (1978)

The Wayside School series is about a school that was built sideways when the architect misread the blueprints, resulting in a wobbly 30-floor tower (minus floor 19 of course).

The ridiculousness of the story only gets weirder when you meet the students who each have their own quirks. The stories promote creativity on the highest level—the 30th level, some might say.

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen (1986)

This is one of those book covers you forgot you knew existed until you see it and the memories come flooding back.

Gary Paulsen's coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old boy whose plane crashed in the woods hooked young readers. They nervously rooted for Brian while he fended for himself with nothing but a hatchet.

The Baby-Sitters Club Series - Ann M. Martin (1986-2000)

Even though the covers and art style for The Baby-Sitters Club changed over the years, the clever plotlines directed toward young female readers still hold relevance today.

Tackling topics like friendship, crushes, bullying, and even a bit of mystery, of course, The Baby-Sitters Club is a great introduction to chapter book reading for kids.

The Magic School Bus Series - Joanna Cole (1986-2020)

Ms. Frizzle's adventures on the big magic school bus were designed to teach her class about the world.

They also teach the students reading her stories about things ranging from basic geography to science and biology.

Eyewitness Books Series (1988)

The Eyewitness series is great for those kids who have a little extra fascination with one thing in particular.

They're also great for school projects and cover a wide variety of subjects and nature-related topics.

Matilda - Roald Dahl (1988)

Roald Dahl's imagination remains a gift to children everywhere.

His magical tale about a special girl named Matilda who loved books more than anything inspires kids to read different kinds of literature, and always act with kindness.

The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister (1992)

The picture book about a unique fish learning the importance of sharing is a classic for a few reasons.

The moral fable reveals the lonely dangers of being rude and selfish, and highlights the happiness we get from sharing the things that make us special.

Goosebumps Series - R.L. Stine (1992)

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series caters to a particular niche of kids who are super into creepy stuff.

Ghost stories, scary clowns, and creepy dolls were all staples in the Goosebumps series. The books became so popular that a cartoon series was created for kids who wanted to feel the scare.

Stellaluna - Janell Cannon (1993)

Janell Cannon's story about a tiny fruit bat named Stellaluna is great for children for a few reasons.

Firstly, she wanted to highlight the idea that bats aren't scary creatures like most people think. Secondly, she wanted to tell a story about how families may look different from one another but they have more similarities than differences when it comes down to it.

Animorphs Series - K. A. Applegate (1996-2001)

The Animorphs series was a staple in most school libraries which made it many kids' earliest introduction to the idea of science fiction.

The various shapeshifter stories hit on mature themes for preteens including war, dehumanization, morality, leadership, innocence, family, and growing up.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling (1997)

The worlds of Muggles and magic collide in the first installment of Harry Potter's coming-of-age story.

His initial acceptance and trip to Hogwarts is full of all the literary magic you might imagine and as a child, I waited in book store lines to get my hands on the next copy.

Read More: Fascinating Historical Figures That We're Lucky To Have Photos Of

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