Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Inklings of Oxford: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Their Friends Text by Harry Lee Poe, Photography by James Ray Veneman



If the only reason you buy this book is for photographs, you have more than gotten your money’s worth! This is one of the best books I’ve seen for photographs. This will not be just a book you want to put on your coffee table and leave there. Your going to want to pick it up and look at it over and over again. If you have traveled to England and specifically Oxford, this would be a great commemorative book of your trip.
Then we get to the text. It is part history, part biography. Oxford is a city of such rich history. The book follows mainly C.S. Lewis’s life and then Tolkien’s when they intersect and later form the Inklings. The members of the Inklings gathered together to share their writings and to help each other improve their craft. History has been forever changed because of what went on during those meetings. The book covers 60+ years of history, and as an added bonus, includes basic maps and information for one to take their own walking tours of Oxford and see the sites photographed and mentioned in the book
I found myself more distracted by all the beautiful pictures when trying to read the book. It took a lot of concentration to just sit down and read the book, as I just wanted to sit and look at all the pictures and dream of England! But both the text and the photographs are great. After having read several biographies of Lewis, but only one on Tolkien, I found there was much still to learn about these men. Seeing where they lived and the places they saw gave color to their lives and writings. This is one book you will not be sorry to own. Even if you are unfamiliar with Lewis and Tolkien, get the book simply for the gorgeous photography of Oxford, England.
I received this book free from Zondervan for the purpose of this review.

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