Dr. Steven Beebe, a friend, donor, and alumnus of C.S. Lewis Foundation events (Oxbridge 2005 and 2008), has recently discovered a fragment of a manuscript that appears to be part of a collaboration between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien called Language and Human Nature. Here is the press release from Texas State University San Marcos:
What if two of the most famous and widely read 20th Century authors who have each individually sold millions of copies of their books had written a book together?
C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia Chronicles and Screwtape Letters, and J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, had planned in the 1940s to write a book together about Language. According to a letter written by Tolkien in 1944 to his son Christopher, the collaborative book was to be called Language and Human Nature. A news release from their publisher announced that the book was scheduled for publication in 1950. It was, however, never published. Scholars have thought, until now, that it was never started.
Steven Beebe, Regents’ Professor and Chair of the Texas State Department of Communication Studies, discovered the opening pages of the unpublished manuscript in the Oxford University Bodleian Library and has recently documented that the manuscript was the beginning of the previously believed to be unwritten Lewis and Tolkien book.
Although C. S. Lewis started the book, there is no evidence that Tolkien began work on the project.
“What is exciting” said Beebe, “is that the manuscript includes some of Lewis’s best and most precise statements about the nature of language and meaning. Both Lewis and Tolkien wrote separately about language, communication, and meaning, but they published nothing collaboratively.” Read the rest of this entry »
For those of you in England or visiting next week, Michael Ward will be discussing his book, Planet Narnia, in Oxford at Oxford Science Live. Here are the details:
Planet Narnia - July 2 7.30pm, Tickets £3 (SO Friends Free)
C.S. Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia, was an Oxford scholar with an extensive knowledge of 16th Century Literature. But he also studied developments in science, and wove early theories of astronomy into his books. Dr Michael Ward will explore the evidence and will be signing copies of his book “Planet Narnia”.
At Science Oxford Live, 1-5 London Place, St Clements, Oxford, OX4 1BD, Booking recommended 01865 810016, www.scienceoxfordlive.com
To download a pdf flyer of the event, please click here or on the image to the right.
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Credit: © wikimedia.org
A rare 1956 first edition of C.S. Lewis’ novel, The Last Battle, was recently found by two volunteers at the National Trust’s second-hand bookshop in Mottisfont, England. Volunteers Christine and Robert Williams were sorting through a delivery of donations to the bookstore when they came across the book. It will be up for auction at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury, England, on June 17. It is estimated to auction for £700 - £1,000.
For the full story as found in The Romsey Advertiser, please click here.
A thank you to Narnia Fans for making us aware of the story.
