Will Vaus

Just received a package from my favorite bookshop in the world--Blackwell's of Oxford, founded in 1879. Receiving a package in the mail is not quite as good as being there, but it is the next best thing. The Norrington Room (above) at Blackwell's is a bibliophile's dream. It contains three miles of shelving and is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the largest single room selling books. Blackwell's Broad Street shop in Oxford was originally only twelve feet square but quickly grew to incorporate the upstairs, cellar, and neighboring shops. Blackwell's was a favorite haunt of C. S. Lewis. Many of the books from his library (now at the Wade Center, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois) bear the neat little Blackwell's sticker on the inside front cover. The sign in Blackwell's window from Christmastime a year ago says it all: "A book is a gift that lasts a lifetime." I doubt that e-books will ever give the same joy as the smell...

In 1962, The Christian Century magazine asked C. S. Lewis: “What books did most to shape your vocational attitude and your philosophy of life?” In response, Lewis offered the following list: Phantastes by George MacDonald The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton The Aeneid by Virgil The Temple by George Herbert The Prelude by William Wordsworth The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell Descent into Hell by Charles Williams Theism and Humanism by Arthur James Balfour I am writing a book about Lewis' Top Ten Books, with one chapter on each of the above. I have already written the Introduction and the chapter on MacDonald. Each chapter will include a section on how the book influenced Lewis, a brief biography of the author and an overview of the book itself. My goal is to write a chapter per month in 2012. So I thought I would share here some of the...

My friend, Ruth Douthitt, told me about King George VI's Christmas Speech of 1939 being on YouTube. So here it is. His quotation of "The Gate of the Year" mentioned in my last post comes at the end of the speech. I agree with Ruth that this is very moving to listen to, considering the situation with Britain descending into WWII, and the personal struggle the King had with his speech impediment. "The King's Speech" was another one of my favorite movies recently. If you haven't seen it, do!

“I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied,  ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.’” These lines are part of a poem, written and published by Minnie Haskins in 1908. Haskins was a student and later a teacher at the London School of Economics. This poem caught the public attention and the popular imagination, when Elizabeth handed a copy to her husband, King George VI, and he quoted it in his 1939 Christmas broadcast to the British Empire. These words meant a great deal to the British public as their country was descending into the dark days of World War II. These words remained a source of comfort to Elizabeth, the mother of the current Queen Elizabeth, for the rest of her life. The Queen Mother had these words engraved on brass plaques and fixed to the gates of ...

Go see it! It's in my Top 5 Best Movies of All Time!!

In a letter to a young correspondent, written on December 29, 1962, C. S. Lewis said, "Time? Wait till you reach my age and you will find that time doesn't go 'fast' but at space speed!... With all hopes for your success, and best wishes for 1963."

BRRR HAPPY NEW YEAR (aka BRR-R BRITAIN ON ICE) <p><p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p></p> This is a fascinating little blast from the past! Video of life in Britain as the year turned from 1961 to 1962, one of the last winters C. S. Lewis experienced in his adopted country. Lewis' brother Warren wrote this about the weather to a correspondent on 4 January 1962: "We haven't any central heating here, but for the moment have plenty of coal fires, and a thermostat in the bathroom; but unless the freeze breaks we shall soon be short of coal. Already fresh vegetables have doubled in price, and the shops warn us that very soon we shall have no veg. except out of tins or packets. Which is a gloomy prospect, for we are normally large consumers of vegetables. "The only person who is enjoying the weather is young Doug. We have a pretty large pond in our garden, frozen solid...

I was impressed by the Queen's expression of personal faith in Jesus Christ at the end of this video. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer invites us to pray for the Queen in the following manner: O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth; and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant her in health and wealth long to live; strengthen her that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies, and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. And here is an appropriate prayer for the royal family, especially in consideration of Prince Philip's current health condition: Almighty G...

My family and I went to see this movie yesterday. We found it to be a film of incredible beauty and pathos. It shows, in a unique way, the suffering that millions endured during WWI, including, not least, the infantrymen who fought in the trenches of France, like C. S. Lewis. The story is based upon a children’s book, later turned into a stage-play, written by British author, Michael Morpurgo. According to Wikipedia, “After meeting a World War I veteran who drank in his local pub Iddesleigh and who had been in the Devon Yeomanry working with horses, Morpurgo began to think of telling the story of the universal suffering of the Great War through a horse’s viewpoint, but was unsure that he could do it. He also met another villager, Captain Budgett, who had been in the Cavalry in the Great War, and a third villager who remembered the army coming to the village to buy horses. Morpurgo thanks the three men in the dedication of the book, naming them as Albert ...

" I keep thinking about the Christmas scene that Anthony arranged under the altar. This probably is the most meaningful "crib" I have ever seen. Three small woodcarved figures made in India: a poor woman, a poor man, and a small child between them. The carving is simple, nearly primitive. No eyes, no ears, no mouths, just the contours of the faces. The figures are smaller than a human hand - nearly too small to attract attention at all. "But then - a beam of light shines on the three figures and projects large shadows on the wall of the sanctuary. That says it all. The light thrown on the smallness of Mary, Joseph, and the Child projects them as large, hopeful shadows against the walls of our life and our world. "While looking at the intimate scene we already see the first outlines of the majesty and glory they represent. While witnessing the most human of human events, I see the majesty of God appearing on the horizon of my existence. While...

I will be listening to this live on the BBC World Service in a few minutes: A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Merry Christmas!

Yea!

Here is a video of the choir of King's College Chapel Cambridge singing "Once in Royal David's City"--the first hymn of "The Nine Lessons and Carols" performed by the choir every Christmas Eve. C. S. Lewis called King's College Chapel "beautiful beyond belief". I think the same could be said of the service of Nine Lessons & Carols. I hope to visit Cambridge some Christmas in my lifetime to be there for this service....

Many C. S. Lewis enthusiasts become collectors of first editions of his work. Perhaps the foremost private collector of Lewis' work in the world is my friend, Dr. Ed Brown. Ed's book, In Pursuit of C. S. Lewis , is a fascinating compendium of his unique experiences in collecting Lewis' works and his amazing interactions with many who knew Lewis personally. Along with the book, Ed has for some time made available a full color insert with 80 mini photos of the dust covers of practically all the Lewis first editions. Now, signed copies of this intriguing book, as well as the keepsake color insert are made available for purchase more easily than ever before. Just click on the link below for more information: C. S. Lewis First Editions

I am often asked if I read any authors other than C. S. Lewis. The answer is "yes". One of those authors is Henri Nouwen. I receive daily devotional emails from  Henri Nouwen.org . I thought today's devotional thought for the Second Sunday of Advent was outstanding, so I just had to pass it on.... Something Hardly Noticeable Second Sunday of Advent—December 4 "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him . . ." (Isa.11:1-2). These words from last night's liturgy have stayed with me during the day. Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness. I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacl...

I started a new Twitter account today @CSLewisToday . I will be tweeting about Lewis' life, a new tweet every day! Follow me there....

The photo above is from an assembly I did a couple of weeks ago at American Martyrs Catholic School in Manhattan Beach, California. I spoke to 4th-8th graders about "My Journey with C. S. Lewis". Before I got started, one of the younger students asked me if I was C. S. Lewis! I had the sad duty of telling her that Lewis died the year I was born. However, she and a few hundred other students seemed to enjoy my presentation anyway and many bought my books and asked for my autograph afterwards.... Out of all the groups, young and old, I have spoken to about C. S. Lewis in the past few years, this group had the most questions, and all of their questions were very interesting. In fact, I didn't have enough time to answer them all! During my visit to the Los Angeles area I also spoke to Dr. Diana Glyer's C. S. Lewis class at Azusa Pacific University. My topic there was all about the spiritual themes in "The Last Battle".  In addition, I spoke to the Sout...