Books by Will Vaus

What made bestselling author C. S. Lewis such a great writer with so many admirers?" One answer to that question is Lewis' vast and deep reading across the entire canon of Western literature, from Homer and the Bible down to some of the most important works of the early twentieth century.Before one can become a great writer, one must be a great reader. What has made Oxford don, Cambridge professor and bestselling author C. S. Lewis such a great writer with so large a following?" One answer to that question which has yet to be fully explored is Lewis' vast and deep reading across the entire canon of Western literature, from Homer and the Bible down to some of the most important works of the early twentieth century. It seems self-evident that before one can become a great writer one must be a great reader. Most certainly, C. S. Lewis was a voracious consumer of books.In 1962, an interviewer asked Lewis: "What books did most to shape your vocational attitude and your philosophy of life?" In response, Lewis offered the following top ten list: 1. Phantastes by George MacDonald2. The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton3. The Aeneid by Virgil4. The Temple by George Herbert5. The Prelude by William Wordsworth6. The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto7. The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius8. The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell 9. Decent into Hell by Charles Williams 10. Theism and Humanism by Arthur James Balfour Based on his books, marginal notes, and personal letters, Lewis' reading of books is thoroughly documented. In addition, Will Vaus offers a brief biography of each author with a helpful summary of their book. With this handy three-volume series, readers can discover new authors and learn what Lewis believed was most important in his won life and writings Do you like C. S. Lewis? Then it makes sense to read what he wrote. But if you really want to know Lewis and really understand what made him tick, don't neglect to read what he read. Will Vaus has done us all a great service in showing why these books are important and more: he makes them accessible to us all. Diana Pavlac Glyer, author of Bandersnatch and The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community This third volume of Will Vaus's thorough examination of C.S. Lewis's top ten book list is a superb conclusion to his multi-volume study. Every serious student of Lewis's writing should read this book. Lyle W. Dorsett, PhD, Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School

What made bestselling author C. S. Lewis such a great writer with so many admirers? One answer to that question is Lewis' vast reading across the entire canon of Western literature, from Homer and the Bible to some lesser-known works of the early twentieth century. Before one can become a great writer, one must be a great reader. In 1962, an interviewer asked Lewis: "What books did most to shape your vocational attitude and your philosophy of life?" In response, Lewis offered the following top ten list: 1. Phantastes by George MacDonald 2. The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton 3. The Aeneid by Virgil 4. The Temple by George Herbert 5. The Prelude by William Wordsworth 6. The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto 7. The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius 8. Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell 9. Descent into Hell by Charles Williams 10. Theism and Humanism by A.J. Balfour Based on his books, marginal notes, and personal letters, Lewis' reading of these books is thoroughly documented. In addition, Will Vaus offers a brief biography of each author with a helpful summary of their book. Lewis' Top Ten goes to the sources of the ideas and ideals reflected in Lewis' own books. With this handy three-volume series, readers can discover new authors and learn what Lewis believed was most important in his own life and writings. Will Vaus has done us a great service in this clear and comprehensive survey. This book is not just for C.S. Lewis enthusiasts but for anyone who would like to broaden and deepen their reading. Malcolm Guite, Chaplain, Girton College, Cambridge Author of Sounding the Seasons: Seventy SonnetsA penetrating study ... readers will find their appreciation of Lewis deepened and advanced by Vaus' insights and commentary. Don King, Professor of English at Montreat College Author of The Collected Poems of C.S. Lewis: A Critical Edition Will Vaus is a popular speaker on C.S. Lewis and the author of many books, including Speaking of Jack: A C.S. Lewis Discussion Guide and The Hidden Story of Narnia: A Book-by-Book Guide to C.S. Lewis' Spiritual Themes.

If you ask most people, "What is Advent?" they will probably not be able to give a correct answer. At best, they might tell you that when they were children they opened the doors of an Advent Calendar in the days leading up to Christmas. Similarly, if you asked the average person in the street, "What are the Twelve Days of Christmas?" they might only be able to sing a few lines from the song of the same name. In this book, author Will Vaus seeks to deepen the reader's knowledge of Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany. However, this book goes even further than that. Readers are provided with devotional thoughts for each day of the Advent and Christmas seasons that help them to experience this part of the Church Year perhaps in a more spiritually enriching way than ever before. "Will Vaus leads our hearts and minds through the story of our Lord's Incarnation with daily readings, seasoned with inspiring, touching, and sometimes humorous illustrations. I found his writing immediately engaging and, the more I read the book, the more I liked it. God has touched my heart by reading OPEN BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and I believe he will touch your heart as well." Rev. David Beckmann, Founder of The C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga Will Vaus (M.Div., Princeton Seminary) is the author of several books in¬cluding KEYS TO GROWTH: MEDITATIONS ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES and THE HIDDEN STORY OF NARNIA.

What made bestselling author C. S. Lewis such a great writer with so many admirers? One answer to that question is Lewis' vast reading across the entire canon of Western literature, from Homer and the Bible to some lesser-known works of the early twentieth century. Before one can become a great writer, one must be a great reader. In 1962, an interviewer asked Lewis: "What books did most to shape your vocational attitude and your philosophy of life?" In response, Lewis offered the following top ten list: 1. Phantastes by George MacDonald 2. The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton 3. The Aeneid by Virgil 4. The Temple by George Herbert 5. The Prelude by William Wordsworth 6. The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto 7. The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius 8. Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell 9. Descent into Hell by Charles Williams 10. Theism and Humanism by A.J. Balfour Based on his books, marginal notes, and personal letters, Lewis' reading of these books is thoroughly documented. Volume One of this series covers the first three books on his list. Will Vaus offers a brief biography of each author with a helpful summary of their book. Lewis' Top Ten goes to the sources of the ideas and ideals reflected in Lewis' own books. With this handy three-volume series, readers can discover new authors and learn what Lewis believed was most important in his own life and writings. "A great help in understanding C.S. Lewis is to understand the books that were most influential in shaping his thought. Will Vaus has undertaken the task of examining those books which Lewis himself said were the top ten. His work is thorough, comprehensive, and illuminating." Rolland Hein, Emeritus Professor of English, Wheaton College Author of George MacDonald: Victorian Mythmaker "Many studies of C.S. Lewis are being published and this book will certainly be among those of real importance to readers of Lewis." Aidan Mackey Senior fellow of the G.K. Chesterton Institute and Library in Oxford Will Vaus is a popular speaker on C.S. Lewis and the author of many books, including Speaking of Jack: A C.S. Lewis Discussion Guide and The Hidden Story of Narnia: A Book-by-Book Guide to C.S. Lewis' Spiritual Themes.

The life story of Sheldon Vanauken is one of adventure, romance, conversion, grief, and recovery. Much of this was chronicled in the autobiographical bestseller, A Severe Mercy.However, a good deal of Vanauken's fascinating life remained shrouded in secrecy ... until now. Through a process of careful historical research, including interviews with Vanauken's many friends, colleagues, and students, Will Vaus reveals to the reader the numerous facets of a complex character. In this biography we discover: Vanauken the struggling student, the bon-vivant lover, the sailor who witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the seeker who returned to faith through C. S. Lewis, the beloved professor of English literature and history, the feminist and anti-war activist who participated in the March on the Pentagon, the bestselling author, and Vanauken the convert to Catholicism. What emerges is the portrait of a man relentlessly in search of beauty, love, and truth, a man who believed that, in the end, he found all three. "A sympathetic, perceptive and well researched study of one of America's most important recent religious writers. Readers of A Severe Mercy are in Will Vaus' debt for such an illuminating and informative study." Alister McGrath, author of C. S. Lewis: A Life "Van was a character - a very good one as it happens, and Will Vaus catches the actuality of this intriguing man of many parts. Very illuminating reading." Thomas Howard, author of On Being Catholic "This is a charming biography about a doubly charming man who wrote a triply charming book. It is a great way to meet the man behind A Severe Mercy." Peter Kreeft, author of Jacob's Ladder: Ten Steps to Truth "Vaus has masterfully captured the spirit of Vanauken, his deep desire for beauty, his mistakes along the way, and eventually his love of God. Reading this biography takes me back to the same deep emotions I have every time I read A Severe Mercy." Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church "Sheldon Vanauken's story of C. S. Lewis, Oxford, a passionate love, and a tragic loss captured the imagination of Evangelical Christians thirty years ago. Will Vaus' biography of the author of A Severe Mercy captures the same mixture of a flawed romantic quest driven by a longing for truth, goodness and beauty, that culminates in the fullness of the Catholic faith. Vaus' book is a study in divine providence and a captivating biography of a unique and noble soul." Fr. Dwight Longenecker, author of The Quest for the Creed "Very well written, thoroughly researched, hard to put down despite many tears - Will Vaus captures the essence of Van in this book." Marion, Davy Vanauken's daughter Will Vaus is a popular speaker and the author of a variety of books including The Hidden Story of Narnia, Speaking of Jack, and Mere Theology.

When ten-year-old Anne Waller from Suffolk England wrote to C. S. Lewis in 1961 with a question about The Chronicles of Narnia she never expected to receive a reply. However, not only did Lewis answer her letter, he also outlined the spiritual themes in each of the Narnia books. That letter served as inspiration for Will Vaus to write The Hidden Story of Narnia. Nearly 50 years later, Anne Waller Jenkins has written a preface for The Hidden Story, praising the author's "gift of clarity" and the "sheer joy and merriment" of his style.

A survey of Lewis's beliefs, based on the whole range of his writings.