Douglas Anderson's anthology gives us a window with a nice look at the sorts of stories that informed C.S. Lewis as he developed as a writer and, more specifically, as the creator of the Narnia series and the Space Trilogy. The value of this volume and its companion, Tales Before Tolkien, is that while they provide some insight about the ingredients that fed the creative process for both of these famous Inklings, they also act as literary time capsules, if you will, for a particular genre: we see the sorts of gothic and fantasy and mythological stories from previous generations that inspired and entertained these two writers and many of their contemporaries -- such as Algernon Blackwood, E.R. Eddison, Lord Dunsany, and Mervyn Peake -- whose works still entertain readers today. Overall, a very nice compilation with interesting notes.

Share/Like this Review?