The Misquotable C.S. Lewis: What He Didn't Say, What He Actually Said, and Why It Matters

C.S. Lewis wrote many great words, but not everything you see with his name on it is from the famed author of the Narnia books. Seventy-five quotations are presented that have an association in one way or another with a host of names, including: Ryan Seacrest, Anthony Hopkins, Max Lucado, Rick Warren, and Tim Allen Learn the three most common ways Lewis is misrepresented: 1.Falsely Attributed Quotes: Expressions that are NOT by him. 2.Paraphrased: Words that are ALMOST what he said. 3.Out of Context: Material he wrote, but are NOT QUITE what he believed. This book doesn't stop there. Also discover what Lewis actually said that is related to the presented misquotes. Those new to Lewis and the more serious reader of his works will grow in their appreciation of a writer that is not only quotable, but obviously misquotable In Surprised by Joy Lewis notes how his father, Albert, was fond of telling anecdotes about Sir John Mahaffy, anecdotes which Lewis later (at Oxford) found attached to Benjamin Jowett. This, alas, is the fate of any great figure: to serve as a convenient magnet for stories or quotations that other people want to perpetuate, however inaccurately. William O'Flaherty is to be commended for soberly demagnetizing C. S. Lewis in a well-researched, useful, and timely book. --Michael Ward, University of Oxford, co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis William O'Flaherty's carefully researched book is the perfect antidote for the quickly written student paper based on sources from the internet where anyone can claim anything. The Misquotable C. S. Lewis serves as a reminder that facts really do matter and a commitment to the truth is not simply an option one may choose to have when convenient, but a necessary requirement to all human endeavors. --Devin Brown, Professor of English at Asbury University, author of A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis Few authors are as quotable as C. S. Lewis. Nor, as O'Flaherty reveals, as misquotable. The internet and published books are full of quotes that are not quite accurate or are total fabrications, and O'Flaherty has done the solid research needed to discern where these false attributions came from. But this isn't just a book of scholarly nitpicking. It is an entertaining, deep dive that will give the reader a deeper understanding of the things Lewis really did say. The Misquotable C. S. Lewis is an indispensable addition to my own library of books about one of my favorite authors --Terry Glaspey, author of the award-winning 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know, Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C. S. Lewis William O'Flaherty amiably and thoroughly investigates the phenomenon of Lewis misquotes. He asks why this has happened--after all, those who use quotes wrongly are not out to mislead. He helps us by searching for the origins of the misquotes that are fast becoming rife, providing guidance on what is genuine or not in the swirling fog of misquoted Lewis. --Colin Duriez, author of C. S. Lewis: A biography of Friendship, and The A-Z of C. S. Lewis William O'Flaherty has moved to the front of the line of C. S. Lewis scholarship with his meticulously researched The Misquotable C. S. Lewis. Unlike the clever, imaginative theories about the works of Lewis with precious little real evidence, this book represents the painstaking work of tedious scholarship that tracks down the origins of misquotations, distortions, and fabrications to give the reader a treasure trove of stories about the many misrepresentations of what C. S. Lewis actually wrote. This book is a must-have resource for people who love Lewis. --Harry Lee Poe, author of The Inklings of Oxford Historians are taught to document every quote. As a professional historian with a number of published books, my goal has been to be as perfect in my documentation as possible, and as a professor of history, I challenge my students to meet that high standa.…