Saturday, July 4, 2009

Dreaming spires

I just got my copy of The Inklings of Oxford: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Their Friends, which I recommend strongly to anyone interested in the lives of Lewis, Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers or any of the others in this generation of Oxford Christians. I suspect that those uninterested in the text but who love the city and university will enjoy the book too. The photographs are gorgeous and those parts of the text I've read so far are good. I've read a great deal about the Inklings and, nevertheless, have already learned new things for instance that Dorothy Sayers [not technically an Inkling] quit writing the Wimsey mysteries as soon as she had an assured income and thereafter devoted herself to other things she felt worthwhile, especially Christian apologetics.

David Downing describes the pictures:
The photographs in this book are a banquet for the eyes. Nearly all in color, the pictures capture not only familiar images of famous Oxford edifices and much-loved pubs. They also provide artful close-ups of cobbled streets, ornamental woodcarvings, and joyous wildflowers in and around the city of dreaming spires.
I've been to Oxford more than once with particular interest in sites related to Lewis. I wish this book had been available before I went — I would have seen more and been much better informed about what I did see. The pictures and the suggested walking tours make me wish I could go again.

C. S. Lewis Blog: A Picture-Perfect Look at the Inklings’ Oxford

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