Other editions of book The Place of the Lion

For too long, Williams's work has been out of print or only available in budget-level paperbacks. We're rectifying this with high-quality, hardbound editions of his work, something suitable for collections and gifts. Finally: modern, hardback editions of Williams' most compelling, accessible writing - in handsome editions that are worth collecting and sharing. They're available now for order: http://cwlibrary.com They have been designed and printed with care: The Williams Library editions are hardbound, with cloth covers and foil stamping and debossing on the covers. Inside, you'll find modern typography in the best bookmaking tradition. Printed in pure black with bright spot colors, on pure white paper. They're sized right in the sweet spot: easy in the hand but a respectable presence on the bookshelf. We've included generous margins for a comfortable reading experience, and room for exclamations, scribbles and arguments. The first one, The Place of the Lion is available now, and we're currently taking pre-orders for War in Heaven next at http://cwlibrary.com

The Place of the Lion is a fantasy novel written by Charles Williams. The book was first published in 1931 by Victor Gollancz.Platonic archetypes begin to manifest themselves outside a small Hertfordshire town, wreaking havoc and drawing to the surface the spiritual strengths and flaws of individual characters. Their focus is the home of Mr Berringer, the leader of a group interested in magical symbolism who falls into a coma after contact with the first archetype unloosed, the lion of the title. Other powers follow this one and cut off the town from the rest of the world that they will inevitably absorb and reshape. Among those overcome and destroyed by the raw powers they encounter are two members of the group, Mr Foster and Miss Wilmot, whose motivation is ultimately selfish. A chance visitor to the group, the academic author Damaris Tighe, narrowly escapes the same fate but is saved at the last moment by her cousin and fiancé, Anthony Durrant. She then sets out to locate Anthony’s friend, Quentin Sabot, who had been with Anthony when the lion first appeared and has now fled into the countryside, overcome with terror.Meanwhile, with the help of another group member, Mr Richardson, who also has the inner strength to withstand the angelical archetypes, Anthony is enabled to understand the process that has been unleashed by Berringer. Together they plan to counter it and reverse the threat. Its next phase has already started and some of the town’s buildings begin to collapse as Berringer’s house is swallowed in a column of unquenchable flame. Armed with the secret names of the archetypes from a grimoire, Anthony summons them back to their point of focus while Richardson neutralizes the fire by walking into it. (wikipedia.org)

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886 – 1945) was a British poet, novelist, theologian, literary critic, and member of the Inklings. Although Williams attracted the attention and admiration of some of the most notable writers of his day, including T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden, his greatest admirer was probably C. S. Lewis, whose novel That Hideous Strength was at the time regarded as entirely inspired by Williams's novels.