I've always loved the Narnia series and had read the Screwtape Letters, but had never read C.S. Lewis's other famous works. This is a wonderful collection of his best work. I have loved every one and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing God through another perspective. Based on Biblical truth, but not "preachy," he gives us a glimpse into God's nature and His relationship with us. Not exactly an easy read (definitely not a "beach book"), but the message is crystal clear.

I've always loved the Narnia series and had read the Screwtape Letters, but had never read C.S. Lewis's other famous works. This is a wonderful collection of his best work. I have loved every one and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing God through another perspective. Based on Biblical truth, but not "preachy," he gives us a glimpse into God's nature and His relationship with us. Not exactly an easy read (definitely not a "beach book"), but the message is crystal clear.

The book arrived very soon after I ordered it. Its description was accurate and the price was great.

The book arrived very soon after I ordered it. Its description was accurate and the price was great.

enjoying c.s. lewis is a recent pasttime. i find these writings to be enlightening and full of life.

The book took a while to get here, and when it did, it was in rough shape for supposedly being brand new. I also discovered I could have bought it for $5 cheaper from another online retailer. Not too impressed with this purchase.

This is a beautiful book, and from my experience, you will not find it in stores for less than $60. It was delivered on time, in perfect condition, and cost a lot less (including shipping), than it was in stores. This makes a beautiful gift or addition to a personal collection.

To have in one place the works of one of the greatest minds of the Twentieth Century is to have a treasure in ones hands. The logic of Mere Christianity is so close that it leave little wiggle room for the deepest of intellects. The satire of Screwtape Letters is hilarious but pointed and so true to life. Miracles is another apologetic as well as the Great Divorce. One needs this volume at hand and needs to read its content from cover to cover to even start to say that they are an educated person. For me Lewis is one of the greatest writers of all time, and a theologian without all the trappings of obscurantism. Enjoy the exercise of mind and heart in reading these classics.

C.S. Lewis was certainly 1 of, if not the most, thought provoking theologist of the last century. As a former atheist/current agnostic, I will say, his is the only sensible argument for Christianity I've ever come across. Of course his prose is as always thoughtful, intelligent, & often humorous.

the seller got the book to me promptly - i have not had time to read it yet - it's in the to be read pile...it appears to be in good condition.

The detail and depth of arguments is incredible. The presentation is equal and fair to both sides but leaves no doubt of the ultimate truth. I especially enjoyed the allusions by the author to time period events and situations. ie. WWII and English manners.

As a freshman in college, the concept of religion can be a very distant one. A man who is a leader of a spiritual organization on campus highly recommended CS Lewis, beyond the Chronicles of Narnia, and finally I decided I would see what the interest was about. I cannot believe I waited so long to experience such a fantastic author and truly wonderful books. If you are a life-long Christian, someone open to the concept of religion and looking to explore, or just someone who wants several great stories to read, this collection is unbeatable. Over 750 pages and seven stories that will challenge the reader, both spiritually and intellectually. I highly, highly recommend this book.

While it seems that many of C.S. Lewis' works have been compiled into collections since their initial publications, this particular collection might be one of the best available at the moment. That is, this collection might offer a comparatively larger bang for one's buck. Each of the titles contained within this single volume are more than worth their weight in gold, making the collection as a whole priceless. One should realize, however, that if the collective work is approached as one large, continuous reading, it might be seen as a tremendous undertaking. As large as the actual book might be, one should not be intimidated by its size, and feel comfortable tackling each of the separate texts as if it were independent from the larger collection if not only to avoid rushing in an attempt to reach its end.

To avoid an unnecessarily long review, one might be best served, if at all interested, to examine the reviews available for each of the individual titles contained within this compilation. Beyond this it should be mentioned that while these are appropriately dubbed Lewis' signature classics, much of his work is omitted from this collection. A few additional suggestions if one is interested in this author are The Four Loves, Surprised by Joy, Letters to Malcolm, and God in the Dock among many, many others. Again, this collection is a legitimate bargain considering the wealth of knowledge it contains and the comparative price of purchasing each separately...or never inquiring at all.

This is truly a life changing book. What an incredible mind C S Lewis had. It has been an honor to have the opportunity to read this collection. I won't stop until I have read everything I can find about, or by C S Lewis.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in C.S. Lewis!! Very handy to have all of these classics in one volume. Easy to read print also makes it hard to put down!! If you've long enjoyed the works of C.S. Lewis, or if you are new to him (like me!), you will not be disappointed with this purchase!!

C. S. Lewis held such a brilliant God-given imagination, that ALL his works tickle the mind in places that one didn't even know existed! His writings will have you laughing until you hurt one minute, and the next minute so full of spiritual sobriety that the on-going, unseen (yet very "felt") battle raging around us becomes crystal clear.

It is far and few between when a book will call me back to it when I walk away. It is not often that I find such joy and delight when I can finally pick it up again--almost feeling a guilty pleasure when there are so many chores to do and work to be done!

What a brilliant mind this author had. What a blessing he was to our planet! My children love his works.

Carrie Lynn Jones
Author of: It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers

It first seems intimidating: seven spiritual works by the 20th century's foremost Christian intellectual, in one volume. But reading "The Complete CS Lewis Spiritual Classics," you realize Lewis' strength came from a worldview consistent as the Christian faith he embraced and lived. The books' sequencing testifies to this; its' fictional works stretch and strengthen points made in his spiritual works, themselves brimming with allegory to explain his apologetics.

"Mere Christianity," transcripted from Lewis' WWII radio talks, distills the faith and its morality independent of denomination. He establishes themes reinforced throughout the other books: moral, independent law guiding the universe, understanding God's relationship with man (the process of repentance and forgiveness), Christians seeing Earth as enemy territory to win for their Leader, the "good infection" and process of perfection Christ begins when we let Him." He also aligns sin with pride, accurately calling it the greatest root of all sin ("Pride made the devil the devil."). In this context it's the perfect introduction.

"Screwtape Letters," (arguably Lewis' most famous book after the "Narnia" series) reverses "Mere"`s tenets to near-hilarious effect. Yours truly's earlier "Screwtape" review still holds. But suffice it to say Screwtape's instructions and warnings to apprentice devil nephew Wormwood on using a man's new found faith for his downfall provides "milestones," "sudden turnings" and "signposts" to warn against what Screwtape calls "the safest road to hell."

Themes of each book interlock through fantasy, apologetics, or instruction, fleshing Lewis' personal faith and storytelling mastery. Lewis' fantasy "Great Divorce," describes the damned's day trip from their "gray city" (Lewis' hell and purgatory) to Heaven, trying vainly to bend its citizens' new lives and beauty to their old faults and imperfections. "A Grief Observed," meanwhile, is Lewis' heartfelt, resigned response to life and God following his beloved wife Joy's death. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain" rests between and threads each, as he reasons out human grief and discomfort in a world created and maneuvered by a loving God. Lewis confronts and asks us to confront these issues, whether waking from his guided tour of heaven with George MacDonald (in "Divorce") or praying for and re-imagining his late "H's" soul and memory.

"The Abolition of Man" is shortest, comprising two Lewis lectures. But it nearly serves as series summary and mission statement. Lewis cleverly sees through a school textbook's mistaken semantics into a study of natural law (the Tao), objective beauty and truth independent of beholder. This divine, guiding law fuels the tenets in "Mere Christianity" (and Screwtape's Satanic reverses of same), Divine will God uses to chasten in "Problem of Pain" and hasten through speeding His nature and process in "Miracles."

Joined together, these spiritual works make you wonder if Lewis hadn't all along decided he'd use his gift for compelling fantasy, analysis and allegory to tell, then validate Christ's story through his own. Read together if you can, (separately if you must), they'll provide the Christian leader and apologist sword and shield to lovingly understand and defend his faith (and allow Christ to change him). For this alone these books are essential to any faith-filled library, with this collection a compact, cost-effective means to acquire them.

This book is a great bargain for anyone new to C.S.Lewis. I wanted just one or two books, but when i noticed this one, with SEVEN books inside, i decided to give it a try. Good Move! I have enjoyed the entire collection, and at a price of barely two single books!!!

I got this book after hearing a series of lectures on CS Lewis. I already love his writing and this review is not a reflection on him as a writer. I dislike the SIZE of this anthology. Far from being a volume that you can curl up with or take on a trip in the car, this is a coffee table book and can really only be read sitting at a table or desk. I took it on a road trip and had to stop reading because of the size (like 24 inches by 12 inches - really big).

I did return this book and I guess will buy the volumes separately so that I can enjoy them anywhere.

I got this book after hearing a series of lectures on CS Lewis. I already love his writing and this review is not a reflection on him as a writer. I dislike the SIZE of this anthology. Far from being a volume that you can curl up with or take on a trip in the car, this is a coffee table book and can really only be read sitting at a table or desk. I took it on a road trip and had to stop reading because of the size (like 24 inches by 12 inches - really big).

I did return this book and I guess will buy the volumes separately so that I can enjoy them anywhere.

bought this book initially being drawn to the author and references that were made to his work in other books that i have read, and i was not disappointed. The first book in the compilation, Mere Christianity, dealt with the topic from a perspective that i never considered before- at the end of which i think non can refute the ideas postulated by the author. And that is one thing that must be said of CS Lewis- the ideas that he puts forward are profoundly original, and he does so in a very very logical manner, with one thought connecting with the other effectually making the 'whole' very clear.

Truth be told however, this is not a novel, or some book you can pick up and read in one night because you are intrigued by some catchy story line. If you dont have a taste for these sort of things, and an appreciation for what i view as a superior writing style, you may be daunted when you get to books like miracles. Nevertheless, i would give this book my personal recommendation, it is fresh (original), well written, logical etc. and well worth your money

This book is a great investment. Not only does it help my theological understanding of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us on the cross, but C.S. Lewis' writings expands my imagination and love for God's creativity! What a glorious picture of the Lord's love for us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I recommend this book to anyone looking for answers about God and wanting to grow in their knowledge of Him. Although the book is thick, it's easy to read in small chunks. Don't let it be intimidating. It has become a restful read for my soul, yet also thought-provoking.

was a sweet gift for xmas for the sis the postal took its time but not the sellers fault

This is a very good book to understand more about the Christian faith and various topics like pain, miracles, grief. I would say that parts of the book are very well written apologetics, but since there are various books in this one volume, there are also different styles and genres...

The two works that are closest to fiction resemble different aspects of various prose, with "The Screwtape Letters" being written in a form of collected letters.

I can only endorse this book: It has been very helpful in understanding my faith and the varieties in the different denominations, because it was written with much wisdom and insight that many people can prosper from.

GREAT book! Arrived quick and in perfect condition. Some of my favorite works by this author.

Those that read his several works contained in this book will appreciate his straightword and understandable writing. Yet, still readers will be amazed at his deftness in describing heaven's honesty and glorifying light, and his illumination of hell's lies and destructive darkness. The book is awesome.

If you have any questions to the way life is a certain way, or just want to expand your mind and let new things in, this is the book. Lewis shows in one occasion that truth has the same meaning no matter what time and age you live in. In MERE CHRISTIANITY (my favorite), he uses what he calls the "natural law" and not once uses the bible to show why certain things can only come from a creator. EXCELLENT BOOK!!!

Christianity is a journey of discovery and growth... Lewis, a one-time-atheist, has written incredible stories and teaching works that have inspired Christians and surprised everyone else for the better part of the last century. His way of bringing to light the answers to questions you have, and expounding on questions you might not have thought of yet will help anyone on their way to understanding powerful truths in life. Reading C S Lewis has shaped my understanding of my own faith in a way i could not have conceived. he does not present new and controversial ideas, or formulas... he merely helps to understand age old issues that affect us all.

This book is a well put together collection of some of his greatest apologetic works that prove and illuminate the Christian Faith. If you don't have it, get it! Then, go out and get his other works, like The Cosmic Trilogy, or The Chronicle of Narnia. Lewis infuses his powerful ideas into these as well, and tells brilliantly woven stories that enthrall our imaginations and inspire our hearts. Please Enjoy...

Lewis is an amazing author, and this is a complete collection of his best work.

Next to the Bible, this book should be required reading for every Christian. It's not an easy read like the contemporary Christian writers, but it is a worthy one.

While many may scoff at the readings of Mr. Lweis, due to non-Christian views, one truly is seized by the sheer verocity of the depth of his works; only to come away amazed by the depth of a true Christian soul.

I'm a big fan of "Jack" not only for his writing but on a personal note. This signature edition is a great value and a nice coffee table book. It's a little big to carry on a plane or to read in bed.

Reading this compilation of Lewis classics is a great way to introduce yourself to C. S. Lewis. Although it is not "complete" by any means, it does help to present his world view from several different angles. Each work is short and easy to read. Wrestling with the issues personally is the real challenge in Lewis' literature. He uses lots of concrete earthly examples of the spiritual concepts and themes presented. Delicious food for thought to anyone who enjoys exploring spiritual relms.

CS Lewis is consistantly interesting and insightful. His works are straight forward and avoid belabored, technical theology. Excellent food for thought for the Christian. Excellent food for thought for the non-Christian. If you have even a mild interest in Christian thought, this anthology is a great starting point. The price is unbeatable because even if you end up disliking the theology, The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce are entertaining enough on their own and worth nearly the price of the anthology!

This book actually rates a 4.5 stars with me. Five stars for what is in the book, and four for the book's actual physical quality. My copy, at least, was poorly bound, though bought new from Amazon. The works in the book are superb. I'd all but given up finding a place to get all of Lewis's works in one place until this book came out. I only wish I'd put out the additional ten bucks or so and gotten the hardcover version.


C.S. Lewis, had he been a Roman Catholic rather than an Anglican, would have been canonized a long time ago. As a Roman Catholic myself, I consider this Protestant bretheren to be the most important Christian apologist of the 20th century. There is no current Christian writer who can hold a candle to him, and he writes for believers and non-believers alike. When I have moments of depression or doubt, simply turning to this book lifts my spirit and sets me back on the true course. What a treasure C.S. Lewis was to all Christians, and what a treasure he continues to be.

This book contains all his major long works of nonfiction. It is an outstanding compilation, well laid-out, easy to read. Again, my only fault is with the poor quality of the binding. For $25.00, a book should be bound well, not glued irregularly.
Still, a treasure. Get the hardback.

This particular box set of has had a rather curious publication history. It was first issued in the early 1990s, when I first bought it. The box set (not known then as the SIGNATURE SERIES, it was later renamed thus in the second incarnation) was focused explicitly on Lewis's output from the 1940s. There were six books included: THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, THE GREAT DIVORCE, THE PROBLEM OF PAIN, MERE CHRISTIANITY, MIRACLES, and THE ABOLITON OF MAN. The first two are works of fiction, and the remaining four are first rate, but very intellectual and written much more from the head than the heart, apologetics.

As the box set stood on its original publication, it was the ideal presentation of Lewis's critical faculties and contained very detailed, rational defenses, very eloquently written and simple to understand, of the Christian faith. Due the books all being written within a few years of each other, the box set read very much like each book was a logical extension of the next.

Then when the new millennium dawned, the publishers decided to rechristen the box set (formerly nameless) as the C. S. LEWIS SIGNATURE SERIES, and include a new book from a much different era in Lewis's life. They removed THE ABOLITION OF MAN, and instead included A GRIEF OBSERVED, a work published much later in Lewis's life than any of the other books. This rearrangement is a particularly revealing little facet of what has now become a very profitable industry built on Lewis's name. With the public attention brought on by Lewis's marriage, there has been a marked increase and peaking of interested in Lewis's relationship to Joy Davidman, and GRIEF was included for business reasons. While the original set presented a very clear and rational set of apologetics, it was broken up to include a book incompatible in tone and content with the other five books.

To better understand why they deleted the book, it is best to know more about each work. THE ABOLITION OF MAN focuses on moral law, and is primarily focused on debunking the idea that morality is not objective, but subjective, and all reactions to beauty, horror, etc, are purely biochemical and subjective. Lewis goes to great pains arguing against this viewpoint, and also focuses his critical attacks on [various professors and teachers] two professors from universaties. ABOLITION is very much an extension and elaboration on one of the primary arguments in MERE CHRISTIANITY. THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY, the first book in MERE CHRISTIANITY, argues for a natural law, and ABOLITION expands and propounds on Lewis's ideas of the Tao, or moral law. These two works are best understood when read together, and it is unfortunate they dropped ABOLITION from it. The book is subtitled "Reflections on education with special reference to the teaching of English in the upper forms of schools," which lets the reader know one of its primary audiences is education, which is not surprising given Lewis's profession. THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY, the first book in MERE CHRISTIANITY, argues for a natural law, and ABOLITION expands and propounds on Lewis's ideas of the Tao, or moral law. These two works are best understood when read together, and it is unfortunate they dropped ABOLITION from the second incarnation fo this boxset.

After the publication of MIRACLES in the mid 1940s, Lewis had a debate at the university defending his arguments found in the book. Though even the other debater would disagree when asked about it later that Lewis actually lost the debate, Lewis believed himself losing the critical debate. After this key moment in his career, Lewis stopped writing apologetic works, based on stringent, rational arguments, and turned rather to writing devotional books or examinations of the Christian faith, and did not write any more defenses of his faith on the same level as the works found in the original set.

Lewis would go on to write several more Christian books, but as previously stated, none of them were explicitly apologetic, that is, none were built on logical arguments and primarily focused on providing rational defenses to Christianity. Rather, Lewis wrote works of meditation and autobiography. Toward the end of his life, he wrote A GRIEF OBSERVED, which is exactly what it says it is. It is a very acute, extremely frank, heart wrenching work, and very beautiful. It is also a very personal work. It is one of Lewis's most precious and honest works, but in terms of content and style, it simply does not work when presented in the context of the other five books included in the second publication, all of which were primarily apologetic and written in a much earlier era than this book.

Too me the ideal solution would have been to let the original six books stand, and then come up with a second box set of the books Lewis wrote in the 1950s and 1960s. This second box set could include the following works: THE FOUR LOVES, TILL WE HAVE FACES, REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, LETTERS TO MALCOLM, SURPRISED BY JOY, and A GRIEF OBSERVED, and perhaps throw in AN EXPERIMENT IN CRITICISM as well (essential literary criticism, and highly influenced by Joy). These better represent the period of Lewis's life that Joy had the most impact on, though LETTERS was published in 1963. Both sets would be present an accurate snapshot of Lewis's faith and how it evolved as he lived his life. Both sets would be much better served by being published together, as Lewis's style and intellectual focus is more consistent when broken up into two box sets. The original set are great apologetics, and the second set is a more meditative box set.

Instead of presenting Lewis's remarkable skills as an apologist, which was the original function of the box set by presenting four nonfiction works and two works of fiction , ABOLITION was replaced with a book from an entirely different period of Lewis's life.

Then we come to the third incarnation of this box set. For whatever reason, they went back to including ABOLITION, and added GRIEF as well. These books are central to understanding Lewis as a Christian writer, and especially as an apologist. Most people may know him from NARNIA or one of these volumes, and it is a good place for introduction into the mind and works of C. S. Lewis. All the classics are here, from SCREWTAPE, MERE CHRISTIANITY, and MIRACLES, as well as three other works, all of which range from profound (the majority) to beautiful (THE GREAT DIVORCE), to the gut-wrenching (A GRIEF OBSERVED).

Bottom line: This is a nice box set to have, just be aware that GRIEF isn't really the same as the other six works, and to understand the era that Joy Davidman most impacted, read the works listed above. The other six, however, are fantastic apologetics, and wonderful to study and use for witnessing [as a witnessing tool].

Bottom line: This is a nice box set to have, just be aware that GRIEF isn't really the same as the other six works, and to understand the era that Joy Davidman most impacted, read the works listed above. The other six, however, are fantastic apologetics, and wonderful to study and use for witnessing [as a witnessing tool].

This book is beautiful. I would guess that most people reading this are allready familiar with the quality of C.S. Lewis' writings and are would like to know what the actual book looks like. It's nice. It's about the size of a textbook, with a cover that has some sort of fabric over it and a silver ribbon attached for marking your page.

This is an excellent one volume collection of some the most important of C.S. Lewis' writings. Seven complete works including Mere Christianity, the Screwtape Letters and the hard to find Abolition of Man are contained in this book. The size of this format makes it easy to carry around and the print is still very readable. This is the perfect edition to start reading C.S. Lewis.

i read mere christianity and screwtape years ago and was delighted to see them in one volume with other 'signature classics' by ol' clive staples lewis. if you want to go to narnia on the pop culture train, pass on this. if you want contemporary thought by a man long dead, but his words still live and indict the modern mind to stretch beyond complacency, get this volume NOW!

The book was more than I expected. Beautiful cover, nice ribbon marker. C.S. Lewis has some wonderful works. It's nice to have a fair share of them in one large book.

I only began enjoying C. S. Lewis about a year ago. I tried to read Screwtape Letters several years ago but it was not my bag. But virtually ever other writing he has done is great. This book, which contains several of his writings, is a really nice composite. It is about 2 inches thick, paperback, and the print is large enough for easy reading.

I like this compilation very much, since it contains a lot of the classics of C.S. Lewis that I wanted to have on my shelf. The book is of course a great bargain, since you'd pay a lot more if you bought each one seperately.
Personally, I like C.S. Lewis' essays a lot, because they are written for those "intellectuals" that just can't really grasp the idea of God that doesn't fit into their (our) scientific world. It is a great lecture for those who doubt. BUT: one should read it with an open mind since not all of Lewis' arguments are always coherent up to the end (let's face it though, faith can never be explained 100% with human logic). Still he gives a lot of impulses for ways to think about faith and, I think, in the variety of essays everyone can find something convincing.
On a personal note, I like C.S. Lewis because he never forgets to point out that christianity is not a religion where everyone can just pick out one opinion or interpretation that "suits him", but contains duties and prohibitions before God and all humans, at the same time as peace, community and love. I think, that is a point often forgotten nowadays.
C.S. Lewis is a writer whose books I dare to recommend and give to the most doubting and mind-guided people, always with the recommendation that they keep their mind open while reading it; despite some incoherencies (and C.S.Lewis never claims his opinions to be the universal truth for everybody) he makes people think anew or at least rethink their own fragile arguments against the existence of God. If they don't finish up believing, then at least admitting the possiblity. Read it!

This is a very beautiful book containing several of the classic works of CS Lewis. My only remark is that I did not anticipate how big it is. Please note the size. This is a 'coffee table book' NOT a 'bookshelf book'. It would be nice if the same item were available in a shelf-friendly size. Even so, it is an excellent collection.