REDLANDS, CA (CSLF) -- A commemorative stamp honoring C.S. Lewis, renowned author, will be launched by the Oxford Royal Mail in Oxford, England during the International Centennial Celebration of C.S. Lewis' birth (1898-1998) presented by the C.S. Lewis Summer Institute, a program of the C.S. Lewis Foundation. A limited edition of First Day Covers signed by Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, will be available through the C.S. Lewis Foundation.

The stamp, based on Lewis' famous children's stories found in The Chronicles of Narnia, pays tribute to one of the finest minds that the twentieth century has ever known. An avowed athiest turned Christian, Lewis' popularity has surged in the last decade. Numerous web sites, chat rooms and societies have developed an international following that would, no doubt, surprise even Lewis, himself. Convincing proof that Lewis' ideas and writings still make a major impact on contemporary thought is that thirty-five years after his death his books still sell more than 1.5 million copies annually.

The C.S. Lewis Summer Institute will celebrate the release of this commemorative stamp at a special service at the Sheldonian in Oxford. Dr. Francis Warner, Lord White Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at St. Peter's College will officiate. Douglas Gresham will present a reading from chapter eleven of "The Unwelcome Fellow Traveler." A representative of Benham's and the Oxford Royal Mail will issue the commemorative stamp release, followed by a Commemorative Address by Walter Hooper, personal secretary to Lewis at the end of his life and editor of Letters of C.S. Lewis. Two original hymns, written especially for this occasion will be presented, "The Triune God My Safeguard Is," lyrics by J. Sidlow Baxter and "Loose In The Fire," lyrics by Robert C. Trupia. Singer Joanna Hogg of the group Iona will perform the song, "New Dawn," from Jack: A Musical Portrait of C.S. Lewis, inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia ,combining Getty's music with lyrics written by Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham.

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