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This book is enhanced with content such as audio or video, resulting in a large file that may take longer to download than expected.
The Deluxe Illustrated Edition of a Timeless Classic
Now with this enhanced edition, readers can gain additional insight through video interviews, audio excerpts and letters from C. S. Lewis.
First published in 1942, The Screwtape Letters has sold millions of copies world-wide and is recognized as a milestone in the history of popular theology. A masterpiece of satire, it entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
Storytelling came naturally to Lewis, who spent the rainy days of his childhood in Ireland writing about an imaginary world he called Boxen. His first published novel, Out of the Silent Planet, tells the story of a journey to Mars; its hero was loosely modeled on his friend and fellow Cambridge scholar J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis enjoyed some popularity for his Space Trilogy (which continues in Perelandra and That Hideous Strength), but nothing compared to that which greeted his next imaginative journey, to an invented world of fauns, dwarfs, and talking animals -- a world now familiar to millions of readers as Narnia.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book of the seven-volume Chronicles of Narnia, began as "a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood," according to Lewis. Years after that image first formed in his mind, others bubbled up to join it, producing what Kate Jackson, writing in Salon, called "a fascinating attempt to compress an almost druidic reverence for wild nature, Arthurian romance, Germanic folklore, the courtly poetry of Renaissance England and the fantastic beasts of Greek and Norse mythology into an entirely reimagined version of what's tritely called 'the greatest story ever told.'"
The Chronicles of Narnia was for decades the world's bestselling fantasy series for children. Although it was eventually superseded by Harry Potter, the series still holds a firm place in children's literature and the culture at large. (Narnia even crops up as a motif in Jonathan Franzen's 2001 novel The Corrections). Its last volume appeared in 1955; in that same year, Lewis published a personal account of his religious conversion in Surprised by Joy. The autobiography joined his other nonfiction books, including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Great Divorce, as an exploration of faith, joy and the meaning of human existence.
Lewis's final work of fiction, Till We Have Faces, came out in 1956. Its chilly critical reception and poor early sales disappointed Lewis, but the book's reputation has slowly grown; Lionel Adey called it the "wisest and best" of Lewis's stories for adults. Lewis continued to write about Christianity, as well as literature and literary criticism, for several more years. After his death in 1963, The New Yorker opined, "If wit and wisdom, style and scholarship are requisites to passage through the pearly gates, Mr. Lewis will be among the angels."
The 1994 movie, Shadowlands, based on the play of the same name, cast Anthony Hopkins as Lewis. It tells the story of his friendship with, and then marriage to, an American divorcee named Joy Davidman (played by Debra Winger), who died of cancer four years after their marriage. Lewis's own book about coping with that loss, A Grief Observed, was initially published under the pseudonym N. W. Clerk.
Several poems, stories, and a novel fragment published after Lewis's death have come under scrutiny as possible forgeries. On one side of the controversy is Walter Hooper, a trustee of Lewis's estate and editor of most of his posthumous works; on the other is Kathryn Lindskoog, a Lewis scholar who began publicizing her suspicions in 1988. Scandal or kooky conspiracy theory? The verdict's still out among readers.
Anonymous
Posted September 1, 2012
The Screwtape Letters is a book of correspondence, letters from a senior devil named Screwtape to his nephew, a "junior tempter" named Wormwood. It is great literature, and (obviously) quite religious -- brilliantly so, in that it takes the devil's POV to make arguments & observations.
If you want any further info regarding the literary content, consult a librarian or check Wikipedia. The rest of this review will be regarding the additional content of B&N's "The Screwtape Letters - Special Illustrated Edition (Enhanced Edition)".
First of all, this edition (according to other posters) will NOT work on an iPad. Additionally, it will NOT work on my PC (Windows 7) using the Nook for PC program. I suspect the cause of this is that, given all the extra features in this Enhanced nook book, it isn't compatible with the Nook app.
Secondly, I have no idea if this would work on a Nook Simple Touch. My guess is no -- and even if it did, without color, the videos & illustrations probably wouldn't look as great. But I don't work at B&N, so if you need to know, ask a sales rep.
BUT, this nook book DOES work perfectly on both the Nook Color (according to another reviewer) and on the Nook Tablet (which I can attest to).
So, with the specs out of the way:
This Enhanced nook book is absolutely amazing, and I am so glad I bought it.
It has the complete text of the Letters, plus the text of "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" (also by C. Lewis, though published later). But all that you can find in most other editions.
What's amazing about this one is the enhanced content: illustrations of Screwtape at the start of each chapter, and of Wormwood scattered throughout; videos with relevant historical and literary info, biographical info about the author, and more; and audio clips with recordings from famous performance of The Screwtape Letters, as well as interviews and a lot more.
To conclude, this is an incredible work of literature, greatly deserving of high-quality enhanced features. And this edition has delivered on that, beyond even my wildest dreams. BRAVO!
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.alipe
Posted January 3, 2012
C.S. Lewis is a great writer and this enhanced edition allows the reader to have an indepth understanding of his process, environments he chose to write in, and his inspiration; all shared through the wonderful videos embedded in the book. Illustrations are colorful & whimsical. Works flawlessly on my Nook Color.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 28, 2011
Nowhere does it make it clear that this will not work on an iPad. The description states it is for nook and nook apps; hello what do you think I have on my iPad, an APP. Save yourself the hassle of getting a refund.
5 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Janihall
Posted March 12, 2012
What an interesting way to see what the devil is having his helpers do to us in the background. If you read it, and think about it, you will see that these things ARE happening in either your life, or of people you know! What an insightful person was CS Lewis - this must have been an extremely difficult book to write!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.James0917
Posted September 3, 2012
Altho now the kindle blurb on this edition says nook tablet and nook color only, it's very disappointing to see BN take its cue from amazon kindle and start making nook reader-only apps.
It will be very sad if we see copyrighted e-books go the way of gaming systems. I mean, when's the last time you played a ps3 game on an xbox or wii?
Readers of the world unite! Post your review and complain to helplines!
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 23, 2012
WILL NOT WORK ON IPAD!!!!
3 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.7551972
Posted May 22, 2011
Lewis's masterpiece
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 30, 2011
One of the greatest works of theological literature ever
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 4, 2011
Why?
2 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tazman1736
Posted September 14, 2012
This is a good read especially since it provides a view of what a little devil may be trying to do to get you off of the right path. Reading this makes me want to evaluate the way I think and act around others. It is kind of scary that C.S. Lewis was able to probably think of what a senior devil would be telling a junior devil in order to take a soul to Hell. A Very Good Read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 20, 2013
For some reason my nook said it could not read this format. Dont waste your money trying to buy the less expensive version when there are other options.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 30, 2012
A unique concept that grows redundant after you first get the idea
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 4, 2012
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Posted April 12, 2012
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Posted February 17, 2012
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Posted April 10, 2012
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Posted September 10, 2011
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Posted January 22, 2013
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Posted February 16, 2012
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Posted December 17, 2011
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Overview
This book is enhanced with content such as audio or video, resulting in a large file that may take longer to download than expected.
The Deluxe Illustrated Edition of a Timeless Classic
Now with this enhanced edition, readers can gain additional insight through video interviews, audio excerpts and letters from C. S. Lewis.
First published in 1942, The Screwtape Letters has sold millions of copies ...