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The vision of the Inklings.info is to be the one-stop hub for free writings by the Inklings and free information about the Inklings.

Our mission is to gather exhaustive information about each major Inkling (Lewis, Tolkein, Williams, and Barfield) and link to their major works.

Our specific goals are:

• to list all the major and minor Inklings (and link to more information)
• for each major Inkling, to list all their works
• to list all the free e-books available online (and link to them)
• to link to all the books available for purchase
• to curate the best online Inklings resources

Future goals include:

• to link to more information about all their major influences, such as George MacDonald, G. K. Chesterton, Dante, the Bible, etc.
• to link to more information about those whom they majorly influenced (movies, mentees, books about them)

Look around and enjoy. 

Table of Contents

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WHO ARE THE MAJOR INKLINGS?

The Inklings were a group of Oxford Dons who changed the world. They were an informal literary group during the 1930s-50s who knew the significance of narrative, fiction, and imagination. The group included many major and minor names of that time, however, only four have had major cultural influence.

The major Inklings are:

1. C.S. Lewis
2. J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Owen Barfield
4. Charles Williams

COMPLETE WORKS LISTS

1. The Complete Works of C. S. Lewis
2. The Complete Works of J.R.R. Tolkein
3. The Complete Works of Charles Williams (paper books)
4. The Complete works of Owen Barfield

PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS

Lewis

• Spirits in Bondage (poetry)
• Canadian Public Domain books (do not download in U.S. – check your local laws!)
• Perelandra

Tolkien

Williams

• Charles Williams, War in Heaven
• Charles Williams, Many Dimensions
• Charles Williams, The Place of the Lion
• Charles Williams, Greater Trumps
• Charles Williams, Shadows of Ecstasy
• Charles Williams, Descent Into Hell
• Charles Williams, All Hallow’s Eve

Owen Barfield

*Pending

C.S. Lewis said, of Williams’s Arthurian poems:

They seem to me, both for the soaring and gorgeous novelty of their technique and for their profound wisdom, to be among the two or three most valuable books of verse produced in the [twentieth] century.

DOWNLOADABLE ESSAYS

• [Lewis]
• [Tolkein]
• [Williams]
• [Barfield]

BOOKS FOR PURCHASE

1. Lewis
2. Tolkein
3. Williams
4. Barfield
   • Barfield, History of English Words;
   • Barfield, Poetic Diction

BOOKS ABOUT INKLINGS

1. Lewis
   • The Lion’s World: A Journey Into the Heart of Narnia, by Rowan Williams. Former Archbishop of Canterbury offers fascinating insight into The Chronicles of Narnia, the popular series of novels by one of the most influential Christian authors of the modern era, C. S. Lewis.
   • A Life Observed, by Devin Brown
2. Tolkein
   • J.R.R. Tolkein, Author of the Century
3. Williams
   • Charles Williams: The Third Inkling, by Grevel Lindop
   • A brief biography from Williams Society
   • A brief biography by Sorena Wiggins.
4. Barfield
   • Test

Books about all the Inklings:

• The Oxford Inklings
•  CS L ewis and his Circle
• (A Review of CS Lewis and his Circle)

INKLINGS SOCIETIES

1. Lewis
   • CS Lewis Foundation
   • CS Lewis Society
2. Tolkein
   • Mythpoeic Society
3. Williams
   • Charles Williams Society
4. Barfield
   • Barfield Estate
   • Please let me know if you know of one.
5. Related
   • American Chesterton Society
   • Inklings Study

CURATED WEB RESOURCES

1. Lewis
   • Narnia.com
   • Alt-Lewis
2. Tolkien
3. Williams
   • The Oddest Inkling
4. Barfield
5. All

MAJOR INFLUENCES ON INKLINGS

• George MacDonald, the (Father of Inklings)
• G.K. Chesterton – The Complete Works of G.K. Chesterton (e-books); * The Complete Works of G. K. Chesterton (bibligography)
• Plato
• Dante
• Norse Mythology
• Lewis’ Favorite Books
• Books the Inklings read

INKLINGS MAJOR INFLUENCE ON…

• [Sheldon Vanauken]
• Peter Kreeft’s writings on the Inklings
• Malcom Guite’s excellent lecture series on the Inklings as prophets

THE MINOR INKLINGS

1. Warren Lewis (Lewis’ brother)
2. Hugo Dyson
3. Doug Greshem (Lewis son)
4. Christopher Tolkien (Tolkein’s son)
5. Roger Lancelyn Green
6. Adam Fox
7. Robert Havard
8. J. A. W. Bennett
9. Lord David Cecil
10. Nevill Coghill

HONORARY INKLINGS

1. Dorothy Sayers
2. G. K.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

There are lots of good materials on the Inklings. These are a few of my favorites:

• Keith Buhler’s lecture on Dorothy Sayers’ Gaudy Night and the vice of “Vainglory” and Q&A
• A C. S. Lewis’ Influence Survey - A survey I designed for fun. Take and view!

QUOTES