I did not plan to publish a fifth segment in this series, but I think a discussion of alternate media forms might be useful for Lewis aficionados who have not yet gone as deep as the “exemplars,” and probably never will. For the exemplars who already have a proven “workflow”, not so much.
I do not presume that what I am about to share should necessarily lead to a change in how any Lewis reader “processes” the writings of C.S. Lewis. I offer insights that are based upon my own research needs and “workflow.” If it helps you, then I have served a useful purpose. If this is of no interest to you, skip it, as Lewis might have said.
There are three different media formats for reading the writings of C.S. Lewis. They are:
- Books
- eBooks
- Audiobooks
With few exceptions, I have copies of all Lewis’ works–books and essays alike– in all three formats. I am familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each format. They differ greatly in functionality and suit different purposes.
Books
Everyone knows what a book feels like when held in the readers hands, right? Not exactly. According to research conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts (updated in 2017) roughly 40% of high school graduates never read a single book (literary) the rest of their lives? Um . . . wow!
But for those who do read, hard copy books tend to be preferred. Readers want to feel the weight of a book in their hands, or so they say. To be sure, books are a fine alternative, especially to people who read primarily for entertainment. But for researchers it can be a different story.
Most book collectors strive to keep their books in pristine condition; thus, they never bend page corners, nor do they use pencils to underscore text and record “marginalia”. But if you have ever had the honor to inspect one of C.S. Lewis’ own books (those that he bought and read) then you know how Lewis used “marginalia” profusely. His pages showed significant underscoring, and the margins were filled with notations.
Interestingly, Lewis’ “marginalia” is often in the language in which the book was originally written. Several years ago, I reviewed a copy of Plato’s Republic that Lewis owned. This book is part of the Walter Hooper Collection at the Wilson Library on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus (worth a visit). This book is unusual in that both Greek and English text was used–Greek on the left side and the English on the right side. Lewis counseled us to read old books in the original language of the author, when possible. I do this every time the book was penned in English. But Lewis had a mastery of Greek, so his “marginalia” is on the Greek side of the book, and his notations are expressed in Greek. How cool is that?
Who doesn’t love books? My own hard copy books look great displayed on my Living Room bookshelves. There, in all their glory, sit copies of all the books and collections by C.S. Lewis. I also have a modest collection of nine “first editions” (most glorious of them all) purchased over the years from booksellers in Oxford. On top of that I have another 165 biographies and books “about” C.S. Lewis. These hard copy books are essential to my research–but I find that they are not easy to work with.
eBooks
If you read for enjoyment, a hard copy book may be all you need. You might read it once, then display it on a shelf. One day, you might read it a second time. But, if you do research, the hard copy book has limited functionality. Casual readers have little need to mark up a book, but researchers need to highlight passages and record “in-the-moment” thoughts. Both can be done with a pencil . . . just not effectively.
For purposes of research, eBooks have vastly superior functionality. Compare the limited functionality of a traditional book with the functional attributes which an eBook offers:
- You can make highlights in the book in different colors. (OK, books do allow this.)
- You can copy highlighted text and paste it into an email to send to a friend, or to yourself. (Try doing that with a book.)
- You can enter notations in the specific place in the book when an insight comes to mind. (Try doing that with a book.)
- You can go to an Amazon website (Kindle books only) where all your highlights and notations are accessible. This enables you to copy and paste all extracts into a separate Word doc for storage and later use. (Try doing that with book.)
- When you need to find a particular quote, or idea, you can use the search function to find it in mere seconds. (Try doing that with a book.)
- You can change the typeface and font size to your reading preferences. (Try doing that with a book.)
- You can carry thousands of eBooks with you at the same time. (Don’t even think about doing that with books.)
The functionality of eBooks is exceptional. The ability to export highlights and notations for accumulation in a master file is extremely useful when doing research. And, when you decide to read the book again, your prior insights, captured in the form of notations, will be there waiting for you. For the purposes of research, eBooks are my primary media format . . . and with good reason. But even eBooks cannot do everything that I want.
Audiobooks
With audiobooks the functionality is quite different. To start, you listen with your ears rather than read with your eyes. This is of great utility when you want to “read a book” while driving or walking about.
Audiobooks are ideal for simple reading. And in some ways, they are superior to “sight-reading.” How so? One underappreciated benefit of “hearing” a book is that the speaker is usually highly trained and well-prepared to read the given book. The speaker’s pronunciation of difficult words is helpful. Better yet, the speaker’s articulation of phrases (with pauses and inflections) can convey a clearer understanding of the author’s original intent. Best of all, a well-recited book reveals the sheer eloquence of Lewis’ prose.
I use eBooks when I am doing in-depth research on a given book. But when it comes to repeat reading to deepen my comprehension and retention of a book, I use audiobooks whenever possible. Case in point: I have read Lewis’ book The Problem of Pain at least 40 times. I am quite sure that 39 of those times I was hearing and not seeing the book. The same is true with nearly every book and shorter writing of C.S. Lewis.
For me, eBooks are essential. So, too, are audiobooks. Perhaps they will suit your needs as well.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
If you have enjoyed this series on “Favorite Shorter Writings of C.S. Lewis” please consider joining a new private Facebook group called the “C.S. Lewis Forum.”
