The Top Ten Favorite Books Of C.S. Lewis

Number of books sold by C.S. Lewis = 200 million+. What were HIS favorite reads?

Phantastes by MacDonald (1858). A fantasy novel with a young man chasing an impossibly beautiful woman in a dream. Lewis wrote in his diary that this book helped him cross a “great barrier."

The Everlasting Man by Chesterton (1925). C.S. Lewis on Chesterton: “The most sensible man alive.” The Everlasting Man argues that humans aren't just another animal species. Chesterton: “I don’t believe that the best way to produce an outline of history is to rub out the lines."

The Aeneid by Virgil (19 B.C.). Virgil last wish: Burn The Aeneid. Denied. The poem went on to become one of the Great Epics of the Ancient World. Influencing countless future writers, including CS Lewis. For Lewis, Virgil expertly shows the tension between “duty” and “desire.”

The Temple by George Herbert (1633). CS Lewis: George Herbert excelled at “conveying the very quality of life as we actually live it from moment to moment.” Herbert wrote that his book was about the “spiritual conflicts” between one’s soul and God.

The Prelude by William Wordsworth (1850). This poem went from something C.S. Lewis violently disliked to the poem he “most often” returned to. In Wordsworth, C.S. Lewis found compelling records of “numinous experience(s).” Those moments when we are “Surprised By Joy.”

The Idea Of The Holy by Rudolf Otto (1917). What is the core of all world religions? Rodolf Otto coined the word “numinous” to describe the sort of fascinating and terrifying experiences that lead to a religious consciousness. The “Holy” is felt as an “inexpressible” mystery.

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius (523 A.D.). An ex-consul of Rome, Boethius wrote this in prison while awaiting his execution. The book is an imaginary dialogue between him and philosophy personified as a woman. Topics: Free will, chance, and the nature of God.

The Life of Johnson by J Boswell (1791). The only biography in C.S. Lewis’ list of books that profoundly shaped him. Macaulay said Boswell is the first biographer without a “second.” Edmund Burke said that Samuel Johnson was a great WRITER who was made a “Great MAN” by Boswell.

Descent into Hell by C. Williams (1937). This novel is known as a “theological thriller.” C.S Lewis wrote to the author that reading him was “one of the major literary events” of his life. C Williams was part of Inklings, the literary society that included Tolkien among others.

Theism and Humanism by Balfour (1914). Balfour was the British PM from 1902 to 1905. This book was delivered as extempore lectures Balfour shows that whether we care for “aesthetic,” “moral,” or “intellectual” values - We need a worldview that includes God.

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