I had read most of the published material by and about C.S. Lewis long before I had a chance to hear his voice. That was not the experience of most of his countrymen - he was a radio personality first for most of them, presenting short talks on the BBC during the Second World War. Very few of those broadcasts were preserved.

The BBC has made available the only surviving audio recording of the radio talks that C.S. Lewis later adapted to become Mere Christianity. It is of material that contributed to the third section of the book: "Beyond Personality." Listen here: "The New Men." [Realmedia, about 14 min.] The original broadcast was on March 21, 1944.

At the same BBC site is a much shorter reading by Lewis of an introduction to The Great Divorce. It was broadcast on May 9, 1948, and can be listened to here: "The Great Divorce" [Realmedia, about 2 min.].

Thanks to the New York C.S. Lewis Society for the reference.

• Introduction to The Four Loves - C. S. Lewis
• "Agape Love" from The Four Loves - C. S. Lewis
• "Is Creation Necessary?" from The Four Loves - C. S. Lewis