Books : From Narnia to a Space Odyssey : The War of Letters Between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis
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by: Arthur C. Clarke, C.S. Lewis
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780743475181
ISBN: 0743475186
Label: I Books
Manufacturer: I Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 176
Publication Date: October 01, 2003
Publisher: I Books
Sales Rank: 961030
Studio: I Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
From Narnia to Space Odyssey is the dialogue of letters between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis in which they debate, discuss, and ponder the potential and potential dangers of the rise of technology. Their encounter sets the stage for much of what we face today: is technology the 'beauty' that will lead to a more utopian society, or is it the 'beast' that endangers our humanity and spirit? Clarke and Lewis began their correspondence in December 1943 when Clarke took Lewis to task for his remark about 'little rocket societies bent on exporting the crimes of mankind to other planets.' While they met only once (at a well-known pub in Oxford, with Lewis bringing along a good friend-the Oxford don, one J.R.R. Tolkein), their 'encounters' lasted until 1954 when Clarke became involved in underwater exploration and left for the Great Barrier Reef. Their concern about the future of society, even from differing perspectives, is both provocative and illuminating, and bears close reading today when we are all confronted with the question whether mankind can control the explosion of technology or will become its slave.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Appalling, shameful book production
Lewis's letters are presented with ghastly typographical errors. I could hardly believe my eyes, this book was so badly done.
Rating: - disappointing
The thirty letters are very brief and are mostly of the exchange: Do you want to attend my lecture? No. Would you like a transcript of the speech? Yes, Here it is. Thank you for the transcript.
The basic difference between these two people covered in the book was their views on the possibility of human nature being improved by yet another moral teacher being discovered in outer space or by a few more technology inventions.
Lewis had a background in history and saw that ... Read More
Rating:  - Author's Response
To all concerned,
The intention of the book was to document, if possible, the dialogue which took place between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis, both of which produced a profuse amount of writing. Clarke took offense to C.S. Lewis's Perelandra and started a dialogue with him. The dialogue took not only the form of letters they sent to each other, but also essays and stories they wrote as well. Their choice of subject matter is very revealing. The book is open ended and attempts to pull ... Read More
Rating:  - So Few Letters, So Much Time
Readers of Lewis would be happy for any book with unpublished CSL letters to see print. After waiting for four years to see this come to publication, as a Lewis scholar, I confess that I am quite dismayed at how actually few are the number of letters available. This is not the editor's fault; but the promotional material--maybe: for it promises a "war" and what we find is really a polite, brief skirmish ended by a formal demurral on Lewis's part--who seems unusually reticent for someone well known ... Read More
Rating: - Worth having -- despite missed opportunities
As the overseer of a fan site devoted to Arthur C. Clarke, at Mysteryvisits, I'm pleased these letters were made available in a published volume, along with commentary of any kind. The editor, Ryder W. Miller, is to be commended for his efforts. It appears that he rescued a failed project and managed to turn it around so it could be completed. For that, we Clarke fans are grateful.
The book has the full support of Sir Arthur, who provides both an introduction and an emailed afterword. Of ... Read More
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