Product Description

Behind the Edwin W. Brown Collection at Taylor University -- one of the world's finest holdings of C. S. Lewis first editions, letters, and manuscripts -- are tales of thirty years of warm and humorous adventures, tales of curiosity, perseverance, and "coincidence" -- a British pub in an American basement -- an obscure name scrawled in a rare Lewis book -- a long-lost Lewis manuscript which solves a modern controversy -- a little girl's treasure, sold by mistake and amazingly recovered --and friendships and encounters with those (among many others) who knew Lewis well -- Walter Hooper, Doug Gresham, Pauline Baynes, George Sayer, and Owen Barfield.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2440366 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-25
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 316 pages

Customer Reviews

Fascinating stories and information for Lewis fans
The first half of this book contains stories that span thirty years of collecting Lewis first editions, letters and manuscripts. The stories include Ed`Brown's encounters and friendship with Walter Hooper, Pauline Baynes, George Sayer, and Owen Barfield among others. In addition to being a good storyteller, many of his stories provide significant information for Lewis scholars. For example, there is corroboration of the famous Lewis manuscript bonfire which some have questioned, he recounts the history of the purchase and restoration of the Kilns, and he relates conversations with many people who knew Lewis personally.

You can read my entire review on the "News" page of the New York C. S. Lewis Society website.

vicarious fun
I wasn't exactly sure what this book would consist of, since it is such a unique perspective on Lewis; sort of a back door approach to the topic via a collector's notes. As it turns out, I couldn't put it down. I love anecdotes and stories about people I am fascinated with, and this book proves no disappointment. It is NOT what I would recommend to anyone other than a committed Lewisian, but if you are a Lewis addict, this will not disappoint. You'll learn tid bits about the stories behind his books, letters, friends and family. And you'll vicariously get close to the fun and excitement of collecting something that belonged to one of your favorite authors. It is a very fun read.

You may also enjoy Sayer's masterful Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis, Remembering C.S. Lewis: Recollections of Those Who Knew Him, The Magic Never Ends: An Oral History of the Life and Work of C.S. Lewis, The Magic Never Ends - The Life and Work of C. S. Lewis, C. S. Lewis: Images of His World and C.S.Lewis: A Biography. The newer C. S. Lewis Remembered: Collected Reflections of Students, Friends & Colleagues is also really interesting, too. Each one is VERY good and hard to put down.

In Pursuit of C. S. Lewis: Adventures in Collecting His Works
The author has gained the reputation of being the world's foremost collector of C. S. Lewis, having assembled over more than three decades the finest private collection known of Lewis first editions, manuscripts, letters and ephemera, now the Edwin W. Brown Collection at Taylor University, Upland, Indiana. The first half of the book is filled with tales of his many fascinating experiences in collecting Lewis -- a thoroughly enjoyable read for collectors and noncollectors alike. The other half of the book is a descriptive bibliography of every Lewis first edition, US and UK, together with a detailed description of the dust jacket of each. It is a unique and invaluable reference source for collectors, booksellers, and librarians.

He has recently published his second book, now listed on amazon.com -- Around the World in Eighty Years -- the autobiography of a Harvard-educated physician whose professional career has taken him to more than 100 countries, bringing him into contact with persons in all walks of life, from presidents, kings, and the world's last emporer to the poorest of the poor.