Mere Christianity Set; Broadcast Talks, Christian Behaviour, Beyond Personality

A rare opportunity to acquire the three original first-edition, first-print volumes of C.S. Lewis’ Christian apologetic works: Broadcast Talks (1942), Christian Behaviour (1943), and Beyond Personality (1944). These books were initially published as separate volumes after Lewis's BBC radio talks and were later combined into the single-volume Mere Christianity, which solidified Lewis’s standing as one of the most original voices in 20th-century Christian thought.

Herewith included, by C. S. Lewis:

Broadcast Talks: Reprinted with some alterations from two series of Broadcast Talks (Right and Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe and What Christians Believe) given in 1941 and 1942. London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, July 1942. First edition, first printing. Hardback. Cream cloth; cover lettered in red, spine un-lettered as issued and published without the usual free end-papers and on 'War Economy Paper'. In cream dust wrapper printed in red and not price-clipped (2s.6d.). 

Light bumping and darkening to extremities, covers and spine a tad grubby, foxing to edges, light cocking to spine, offsetting to title and last pages; else clean, tight and clean. In the scarce rare thin-paper jacket that is rather worn and a little grubby, particularly tanned to spine and darkened to extremities, showing a few marks and several small holes to spine, a little additional loss to spine tips, as well as some chipping to extremities; now placed in an archival paper-backed transparent wrapper. 

[together with]

Christian Behaviour: A further series of broadcast talks. London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1943. First edition, first printing. Hardback. Orange cloth; upper board and backstrip lettered in black, published on 'War Economy Paper'. In green and cream dust wrapper printed in cream and green respectively, and not price-clipped (2s.6d.). 

A little darkening to extremities, spine tips discoloured and a tad crushed, foxing to edges, light cocking to spine; else clean, tight and clean. In the original unclipped jacket that is lightly worn, a little tanned to extremities and spine, showing heavy foxing to panels and a few nicks to extremities (a very small area of loss to head of spine); now placed in an archival paper-backed transparent wrapper.

[together with]

Beyond Personality: The Christian Idea of God. London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1944. First edition, first printing. Hardback. Yellow cloth; backstrip lettered in blue, published on 'War Economy Paper'. In blue and cream dust wrapper printed in cream and blue respectively, and not price-clipped (2s.6d.).

Heavy bumping to corners, light crushing to spine tips, edges foxed with a little further spotting to prelims, heavy cocking to spine, and a shallow break between pages 48 and 49; else clean and tight. In the original unclipped jacket that is a little worn and foxed with further tanning to spine and darkening to extremities, ever-so-slightly nibbled to extremities with a very, very tiny area of loss to head of spine; now placed in an archival paper-backed transparent wrapper.

A really scarce set of first editions, first printings of the three original volumes that would go on to make up Mere Christianity in 1952.