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C.S. Lewis Colour Gift Books
C. S. Lewis on Joy
C.S. Lewis was probably the most popular Christian writer of the twentieth century, and his books are treasured by Christians and non-Christians alike. This beautifully illustrated selection draws together some of his reflections on joy and shows the qualities of intelligence, honesty, and humility which made him such a respected teacher.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1998
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About the author
C.S. Lewis
860 books48.5k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 14, 2021
I enjoyed reading these passages out loud to Ryan to and from appointments. <3
December 31, 2020
Well, I gobbled this down, and it really ought to be sipped very, very slowly - letting each passage linger on the tongue for as long as one possibly can to savor these shining tastes of joy.
I have seen a few negative reviews for this book criticizing it for being choppy and the reviewers themselves crying "we were cheated!" and so forth.
I find such a reaction puzzling, since one was never left in doubt from this slim volume that it was collected thoughts on one topic that have been drawn from many accounts. I found it utterly delightful! It is because this book is written in "bits and pieces" that the tantalizing reach for joy is so intense. Furthermore, the method of compilation reminded me very much of verse or poetry - as if Jack's words were assembled into a kind of rhythm.
The fact that this book contains only references from other works did not disturb me and only encouraged me to track down every single piece of source material. I am so glad my good friend recommended this to me. I shall be reading it again, more slowly and carefully, very soon!
I have seen a few negative reviews for this book criticizing it for being choppy and the reviewers themselves crying "we were cheated!" and so forth.
I find such a reaction puzzling, since one was never left in doubt from this slim volume that it was collected thoughts on one topic that have been drawn from many accounts. I found it utterly delightful! It is because this book is written in "bits and pieces" that the tantalizing reach for joy is so intense. Furthermore, the method of compilation reminded me very much of verse or poetry - as if Jack's words were assembled into a kind of rhythm.
The fact that this book contains only references from other works did not disturb me and only encouraged me to track down every single piece of source material. I am so glad my good friend recommended this to me. I shall be reading it again, more slowly and carefully, very soon!
September 24, 2025
Yet another little book of Lewis excerpts based around one theme.
I had hope that this was going to be a good one at first. The intro and first few excerpts made me think that this book might be like a mini biography of Lewis, told in his own words, showing all the ways he interacted with joy throughout his life. He already did something like this with Surprised By Joy, but that book leaves some gaps. I thought perhaps this book would fill in those gaps with excerpts from other books, including his letters.
This book does start that way, but it quickly shifts gears and becomes like the others in this series, putting together random quotations with seemingly no organization at all. I confess I was rather disappointed.
Worse still is the fact that this book excludes much (but thankfully not all) of Lewis's explicit analysis of what joy is. And there are many passages given space here instead that I can't see why they're here. They seem to be more about virtue, or perhaps plain happiness. The fact that these are not distinguished from joy is all the more problematic as Lewis quite explicitly does separate joy from happiness.
So no I was not at all impressed with this book. I think there might be some merit in what I thought this book would be - that would be a book worth making - but the reality of this book is pretty bad.
I had hope that this was going to be a good one at first. The intro and first few excerpts made me think that this book might be like a mini biography of Lewis, told in his own words, showing all the ways he interacted with joy throughout his life. He already did something like this with Surprised By Joy, but that book leaves some gaps. I thought perhaps this book would fill in those gaps with excerpts from other books, including his letters.
This book does start that way, but it quickly shifts gears and becomes like the others in this series, putting together random quotations with seemingly no organization at all. I confess I was rather disappointed.
Worse still is the fact that this book excludes much (but thankfully not all) of Lewis's explicit analysis of what joy is. And there are many passages given space here instead that I can't see why they're here. They seem to be more about virtue, or perhaps plain happiness. The fact that these are not distinguished from joy is all the more problematic as Lewis quite explicitly does separate joy from happiness.
So no I was not at all impressed with this book. I think there might be some merit in what I thought this book would be - that would be a book worth making - but the reality of this book is pretty bad.
November 9, 2025
Honestly, ‘Joy’ is fantastic prose. Lewis is a formidable spiritual guide and poet of Christian philosophy.
Moreover, the thoughts are universal in their implication, their peaceful imprint, and their signature kindness.
Big up C.S. Lewis.
Moreover, the thoughts are universal in their implication, their peaceful imprint, and their signature kindness.
Big up C.S. Lewis.
May 2, 2014
I love C.S Lewis's writing, however this is just a collection of a few of his quotes mashed together in a disjointed way.
April 22, 2022
A beautiful selection of writings from C.S.Lewis about that otherworldy taste of heaven that he called joy. Very thought-provoking. I spent a few beautiful hours with this little book.
November 19, 2025
Wonderful short snippets of text, mostly from letters to others. The joy that C.S Lewis speaks of is closely tied to religion, which I cannot relate to in any deep sense- since I was not born into it and have yet not been converted. But I do understand what he means, and the feelings which he has are described so beautifully and eloquently that it´s hard not to get enticed by christianity itself. Some texts are just of joy, contentness and life itself- a pleasure to read. I will be picking it up again in the future, it is not the kind of texts which you just read once.
July 9, 2018
C. S. Lewis is always good but many of these excerpts felt pulled out of context. At one point he mentioned the "happiness", "pleasure", and "joy" were three different things and I was looking forward to his definitions. But the compiler of the book cut the quote off before then. I suggest you just read Lewis' complete works (i.e. Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, etc.) instead of this conglomeration. The good news is that it was very fast and easy to read.
February 28, 2019
I admire C.S. Lewis, the fact that he came to know Christ, after being an atheist. However, this book does not do Lewis justice in that it only represents small outtakes of his thoughts/writings. There are some sections in the book that you can take to heart, like enjoying the simpler things in life, like nature, that God created for us to enjoy. If you like quick reads, pick this up, but do not expect much.
December 14, 2025
A decent little compilation of Lewis's writings. I was able to capture many of his thoughts on what brings joy. I loved the idea that joy is excitement for eternal life! The actual writing is awesome—I just wish the compilation was a little less disjointed. It explores one facet of joyful experience (friends, faith, books, nature) and then switches abruptly to the next.
January 2, 2019
Although it has some great extracts from Lewis’s writing it does feel like it’s just been chucked together. I’d recommend just taking more time to read CS Lewis’s books.
November 9, 2019
Interesting excerpts from some of his other writings.
January 30, 2020
I love Jack, but this collection of writings is rubbish. Disjointed and poorly arranged. Feels like the first time I drove a stick shift.
October 14, 2020
Eh. Not what I thought it would be. Just a random collection of C.S. Lewis that really wasn't all on joy.
May 14, 2022
A short compilation of exerpts of CS Lewis' writings. Some very deep matters. All about joy and its difference to happiness. Must be read more than once to let it soak in. Very deep
January 30, 2025
4 stars because of the amazing writing of Lewis. Marked down by one because the collection itself was not fluid and refused to flow in any logical sense.
April 23, 2008
This is one book in a series of four books by Lewis. It is simply a collection of illustrations and stories from many of his works. This specific book in the series is focused on stories and analogies that Lewis made in regards to joy. It has good, short easy to read chapters.
July 6, 2012
Lewis is too dogmatic for me and I disagree with the foundations of his arguments.
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February 23, 2019read too long ago to rate
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews