The Lewis Legacy Issue 77

In the Footsteps of Van Eldik

According to the 5 November 1997 issue of the Christian Science Monitor representatives of the United Nations gave a standing ovation to “His Royal Highness Prince Hadji Mohd al Alsagof van Eldik of Bornea” when he appeared in robes and ceremonials at a conference in Melbourne and announced that he would match Ted Turner’s $1 billion gift to the United Read More ›

In the Footsteps of Mickelson

According to an essay in the 7 February 1997 issue of Chronicles of Higher Education, several years ago a candidate named Manfred Mickelson applied for positions teaching 18th-century literature at universities around the country. His application letter told of three books under contract, more than 40 papers presented at conferences, and articles under consideration at 12 scholarly journals. Mickelson emphasized Read More ›

In the Footsteps of Boyd

In April 1998 the glitterati of the New York art world gathered at a party in Jeff Koons’ large gallery to launch best-selling British author William Boyd’s new book, the biography of an obscure and tragic American artist named Nat Tate. The Sunday Telegraph ran a full-page extract from the evocative book. Its publisher is 21 Publishing, a company run Read More ›

The C. S. Lewis Encyclopedia

In a surprise move, before publication Zondervan dropped the price of its 640-page hardcover C. S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia from $29.95 to $22.95. (As a result, the book can be purchased from Christian Book Distributors for only $16.95 plus $3.50 postage. Orders 1-978-977-5000.) Although the name of John West, Jr., was left off preliminary publicity, he was full co-editor and Read More ›

Abolition of an Error

The Abolition of Man was first published in 1943, but that date was accidentally changed to 1947 in the essay “C. S. Lewis: The Natural Law in Literature and Life,” by Kathryn Lindskoog and Gracia Fay Ellwood. This error changed the chronology at the end of the essay. After David Mills arranged for use of the essay in his journal Read More ›

On a Shadowy Trail

James O’Fee has announced in his Lewis Centenary newsletter that in response to the “Shadowlands” film the South Herefordshire District Council offers a leaflet on “The Shadowlands Trail.” (Write to The Tourist Information Centre, Eddie Cross Street, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire; Tel: 01989 562768.) The leaflet explains, “In the film, shortly before his wife’s death, the couple visited South Herefordshire…” Most filmgoers Read More ›

Finding the Landlord’s Error, Thanks to David Baumann

Finding the Landlord: “In 1935 [Pilgrim’s Regress] was accepted by Sheed and Ward, a Roman Catholic company that increased its sales. However, Lewis was extremely unhappy with two comments that this company placed on the flyleaf of the dust jacket: ‘…Mr. Lewis’s wit would probably seem to Bunyan sinful. Certainly his theology would,’ and ‘The hero, brought up in Puritania Read More ›

Facts, Factoids, or Fictions

According to Perry Bramlett, Sam Wellman’s 1997 biography C. S. Lewis (Barbour Books) is part of a conservative evangelical “Heroes of the Faith” series that includes Luther, Wesley, Spurgeon, and Corrie ten Boom. He says Wellman writes with a flourish and is influenced by William Griffin’s older biography, C. S. Lewis: A Dramatic Life (Harper, 1986), from which he sometimes Read More ›

How Myths Get Started

“C. S. Lewis: Myth and Sensucht,” is one chapter in a forthcoming book about six major Christian mythmakers. Fortunately, a galley reader found seven minor errors in this chapter in time for them to be corrected. 1. When Lewis was 16 years old, he was supposedly a student in “an English boarding school.” But he was living in Surrey then Read More ›

How Far Does Lewis Lore Change Over Time?

In the spring 1998 issue of The Canadian C. S. Lewis Journal there is an article by Lionel Adey titled “How Far Did C. S. Lewis Change Over Time?” There he attributes the idea that Lewis and Janie Moore were lovers, “a conjecture I find simply incredible,” to A. N. Wilson, although it originated in The C. S. Lewis Hoax Read More ›