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The Reading Life

The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Other's Eyes

  • Hardback
  • 256 pages
  • Publisher: William Collins
  • 13.7 x 20.7 x 1.9 cm

£12.55

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A delight for Bibliophiles

This book gathers writing of C. S. Lewis that celebrate a life spent reading

You'll find reflections that articulate with clarity the unique delights that reading affords

Cultivated from C.S. Lewis' many essays, articles, and letters, as well as his classic works, The Reading Life is an engaging celebration of books and reading
Anna Hockley

Anna Hockley

Eden Christian Books Specialist

The revered teacher and best-selling author reflects on the power, importance, and joy of a life dedicated to reading books in this delightful collection drawn from his wide body of writings.

More than fifty years after his death, revered intellectual and teacher C. S. Lewis continues to speak to readers, thanks not only to his intellectual insights on Christianity but also his wondrous creative works and deep reflections on the literature that influenced his life. Beloved for his instructive novels including The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and The Chronicles of Narnia as well as his philosophical books that explored theology and Christian life, Lewis was a life-long writer and book lover.

Cultivated from his many essays, articles, and letters, as well as his classic works, The Reading Life provides guidance and reflections on the love and enjoyment of books. Engaging and enlightening, this well-rounded collection includes Lewis' reflections on science fiction, why children's literature is for readers of all ages, and why we should read two old books for every new one.

A window into the thoughts of one of the greatest public intellectuals of our time, this collection reveals not only why Lewis loved the written word, but what it means to learn through literature from one of our wisest and most enduring teachers.

The Reading Life and The Abolition of Man
The Abolition of ManThe Reading Life
  • Author

    C. S. Lewis

  • Book Format

    Hardback

  • Publisher

    William Collins

  • Published

    October 2019

  • Weight

    266g

  • Page Count

    256

  • Dimensions

    13.7 x 20.7 x 1.9 cm

  • ISBN

    9780008307110

  • ISBN-10

    0008307113

  • Eden Code

    4844216

Part One: On the Art and Joy of Reading

Why We Read

How To Know If You Are a True Reader

Why Children's Stories Are Not Just For Children

Literature as Time Travel

Why Fairy Tales Are Often Less Deceptive Than 'Realistic' Stories

The Case for Reading Old Books

On the Role of the Marvellous

Growing Up Amidst a Sea of Books

On Encountering a Favourite Author for the First Time

Why Movies Sometimes Ruin Books

How to Murder Words

Saving Words from the Eulogistic Abyss

The Achievements of J. R. R. Tolkien

On the Dangers of Confusing Saga With History

On Two Ways of Traveling and Two Ways of Reading

Part Two: Short Readings on Reading

Word Combinations

Sincerity and Talent

Prose Style

Not In But Through

Pleasure

Originality

The Up-To-Date-Myth

Keeping up

Wild Tastes

Real Enjoyment

Literary Snobs

Re-reading Favourites Each Decade

Reading and Experience

Free to Skip

Free to Read

Huck

The Glories of Childhood - Versus Adolescence

Jane Austen

Arts and Literature

Art Appreciation

Look, Listen, Recieve

Talking About Books

The Blessings of Correspondence

In Praise of Dante

On Alexandre Dumas

The Delight of Fairy Tales

Language as Comment

Communicating the Essense of Our Lives

Mapping My Books

On Plato and Aristotle

Imagination

If Only

On Shakespeare

On Hamlet

On Leo Tolstoy

Advice for Writing

Good Reading

Appendix: Journal Exercises for Reflecting on Your Reading Life

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