Turkish Language Reform, from its beginnings in the thirties to this day, has been a highly politicized issue in Turkey. Professor Lewis, a lover of "Beautiful Turkish", gives an excellent account of the historical development of this language engineering while successfully keeping his views out of the realm of language politics of Turkey. Any criticisms he has to make about the Turkish Language Association (Turk Dil Kurumu) come subtly and delicately through the carefully selected quotations from others.

This book is a must for lovers of Turkish language, linguists, historians of language (and surely for the Turkish Language Association), and it can be a fun to read for a non-Turkish taxpayer whose tax money could not be reached to finance the whole project.

For a better grasp of the book, some knowledge of Turkish language helps; the more the better to really get the beautiful "taste" of this excellent book.

The changes in the Turkish language over the past century are fascinating, and this book does a great job of explaining some of the political and social background. The author is an expert and extremely knowledgeable on this topic. To me the most telling summary was seeing a paragraph of one of Ataturk's most famous speeches presented in the original, then in a retranslation done later, then a re-retranslation done yet later! The first retranslation was necessary because the original could hardly be understood any more, with all the Arabic-derived words etc. The second retranslation was necessary because even the first retranslation could hardly be understood today! This book will be mostly interesting to those who know at least some Turkish already (and the more the better) or to those interested in linguistic change and social engineering. As the other reviews mention, the changes in Turkish are the result of deliberate re-engineering of the language, not of the more usual processes of linguistic evolution. Imagine taking English and trying to get rid of all the words derived from Latin or French and use only Anglo-Saxon words or words newly derived from other Germanic languages, and you will get a partial picture of what happened with Turkish. The author's views are probably summed up by the subtitle: a catastrophic success. The language reform was effective and some of it was valuable but it may have gone too far in destroying some useful distinctions and making Turkish a somewhat less effective and graceful means of expression.

Prof. Lewis' book gives the full account of the reengeneering of today's Turkish which was essentially for political reasons. The author, atrue erudite and scholar, in about 200 pages pens the process of the death of the ottoman Turkish and the birth of modern Turkish with sometimes bizarre and tragi-comic results. The book must certainly appeal to all Turkish intellectuals irrespective of their ideological position. But it is equally appealing to linguists and orientalists. I cannot praise this book high enough and recommend it strongly.

It's truly a shame that this book is out of print. The "Teach Yourself" series has kept some other works in print that don't come close to matching this one. By doing the exercises faithfully one can really develop very quickly the ability to think in Malay and to get comfortable with the patterns of the language. The vocabulary seemed very useful and very pertinent although parts of it (terms referring to soldiers and officials, for instance) might be a little dated now. That's nothing that a new edition couldn't fix! I hope that a revision of this book will be made available very soon- hopefully with some tapes to go with.

This book is simply wonderful, a lesson book and reference grammar in one. Partly my enthusiasm is about the Turkish language itself, with its utter regularity and its powerful ways to build almost anything from a few base blocks, but Lewis has very well understood that in the case of Turkish, portions of solid theory are what is needed, rather than lots of "useful dialogues".

Especially useful for programmers.

Excellent grammar book! Mr. Lewis' book is supremely logical without being unnaturally systematic. The book covers the breadth of the lanuguage in a thorough yet extraordiarily concise manner. He, on occasion, will grace the reader with a bit of modest humor while remaining pertinent. Obviously an intelligent man who has an impressive grasp of the language and who from this learned perspective is able to break-down and effectively convey the grammar of the Turkish lanugage. The style is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are eager to grasp the scope of the language. Woe that he has not written a grammar for all the languages I have chosen to study.

In this, the second book of CS Lewis's Space Trilogy, we find Dr. Ransom off on another interplanetary adventure, this time to Venus. Instead of finding himself on an 'old' planet, like he did on Malacandra, he finds that life on Perelandra (Venus) is relatively new; in fact, the woman he meets there is still in an 'unfallen' state. In other words, she is in a state of innocence much like Eve was in the Garden of Eden.

Ransom knows he has been sent to Perelandra for a purpose, but he does not know what that purpose is. He soon finds out. Weston, his old rival and former captor, shows up on the planet. Ransom soon discovers that Weston is possessed by an evil force, and calls him the 'Unman.' He then spends all his time trying to protect the woman and keep her from 'falling,' so that the fate of the new planet will not be like Earth's.

This book continues in the allegorical style set forth in the first part of the series Out of the Silent Planet, though Perelandra takes it one step further. This book is more of a religious work than the first one, though, and the moral implications set forth in Planet are both enlarged and expanded. More than just a story of the fall, this book details the true ramifications of the battle of good and evil. It dares explore such questions as why God allows temptation in the world and why we should make our will subordinate to his.

To fans of Milton, the story will seem somewhat familiar, and undoubtedly Lewis used much of Paradise Lost as a basis for this work. The fact that he published a preface to Milton's work the same year this book was written seems hardly coincidental. Still, this book teems with freshness and a unique insight that only CS Lewis can provide. This is a classic work by the master of Christian apology.

This book is truly amazing. Not only is it thoughtful and deep in its Christian allegorical sense. It is also something you can sit down with and get totally absorbed in; it must be the incredible description, or maybe the author's amazing talent--but whatever it is will allow you to forget everyone and everything around you for a while and feel like you're experiencing it, not just reading it. Mr. Lewis was definitely a genious. Out of the Silent Planet was wonderful, and That Hideous Strength was pretty good too, but no book in the world is comparable to Perelandra. Nobody can explain it well enough. You'd have to read it and see for yourself.

In Perelandra, Dr. Ransom continues his interplanetary travels, this time to Venus (Perelandra). Unlike his previous adventure, this one has him sent intentionally, on a mission. The sights and sensations that greet Ransom on Perelandra are described with the beautiful imagery characteristic of Lewis's writings. Floating across the Venetian seas on mobile islands, Ransom encounters one of the two human residents of this shrouded planet. Soon after his arrival, however, a sinister force arrives on Perelandra in the form of Weston, the scientist from the previous book. The encounters and conversations following between Weston, Ransom, and the Queen are a fascinating image of what the temptation in the Garden of Eden may have been like. Also, the discourses given in this portion of the book are deeply thought-provoking. For these reasons and for the excellent suspense, I highly recommend Perelandra.

The Book Dede Korkut is a compilation of tales about the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, who later went on to conquer Asia Minor, and much of Europe. Although these stories are purportedly about an group of Muslim raiders, and defenders of the faith, it is clear that these references are grafted onto an earlier tradition. The stories themselves are juicy, and often funny, and give a good sense of life on the steppe. The translation is excellent, with good endnotes.

Heroic tales of steppe conquest and more. Love, hate, jealousy, campaigns, descriptions...The sort of tales one might imagine in dreams, but with a closer to reality focus than many epics. However, the music and internal rhythms of the Turkish original are lost in the translations.

C.S. Lewis has to be one of my favorite authors. His style of writing is amazing--he successfully describes and mantains a whole other world with its own unique landscapes and races. But, despite being wonderfully written in nearly all aspects, he creates a type of science fiction unique in itself. Never have I read a sci-fi novel like this, and verily, this one surpasses all. The book is complex in both terms of vocabulary (as Lewis sucessfully manages to create life-like characters in the profession of Philology and a Physics professor) and a difficult set of allegory. Certainly, the book is not for the weak reader looking for a book to half concentrate on. Nonetheless, the book is really inspiring, outlining an age old conflict of good and evil in a new way, and all the while establishing a solid foundation of religion...I won't go too far...I recommend that everyone reads this book!

It helps a bit to remember that this C.S.Lewis Sci-fi adventure was first published in 1943. Even though our knowledge of Mars (Malacandra) is slightly more defined now than in Lewis' day, his wonderfully creative imagination can still delight and captivate a modern day reader.

The novel begins with the carefree walking tour of the British countryside by a vacationing Cambridge college philologist named Ransom. By chance, Ransom runs into two crazed and evil (bent) colleagues who abduct him and drag him off via spaceship to the planet Malacandra. Fearing for his life, he escapes his captors and journeys through the waters, forests, canals, and strange countryside of the new world. Overwhelmed by the horrifying feeling of being alone in a place he knows absolutely nothing about, he encounters extraordinary obstacles, situations, and inhabitants throughout his amazing journey.

The book is a wonderful story of one man's amazing adventures in a new land; and, while learning about the strange and diverse customs of it's inhabitants, he delves into his own mind and examines thoughts of love, hatred, greed, superior beings, God, and the meaning of life itself.

It's a very captivating and refreshing book.

Don't let the allegory or "this is a story with a message" reviewers scare you away. Dr. Ransom, a linguist, (I often wonder if J.R.R. Tolkien was the inspiration for the persona) is kidnapped by a man who he once knew in academic circles, and sent to Mars. But this is not like other Mars-sci-fi books. It was published in the middle of World War II in England.

Ransom escapes being a planned human sacrifice on Mars and falls in with creatures that have cultures like the Cherokees (a Native American tribe for those of you on the net not from the Americas). He meets the planet's spiritual guardian, Oyarsa, and among other things learns that earth is referred to as the "silent planet," hence the title of the book.

Lewis has several things to say about mankind's wish to colonize the galaxy and beyond - - which are all negative, and amazingly contemporary for readers today.

Many fault the technology Lewis envisioned as dated, but I find hints of Lewis' sci-fi ideas in other stories - - such as the most recent First Contact. Dr. Ransom finds the purpose of his life on earth crystallized on Mars. You may find your purpose here crystallized as well - - but at the least, you will read a highly entertaining, and unusual story.

This is not a novel and not really an autobiography, but rather a first-hand account of one man's journey from atheism to a belief in God (Christianity came much later and is not covered in this book--for that read his many religious works). I discovered this little gem while living and working as a graduate student in Scotland, at a time when I was neck-deep in the pit of atheism and feeling almost totally lost. I don't know why I was moved to take it off the shelf and buy it, but it was to be only the first of Lewis's books that I read. It's still my favorite because its theme is so close to me.

What makes Lewis's book so remarkable is its unashamed honesty and willingness to shed all masks in the face of reality, no matter how unpleasant or frightening that reality may seem. Lewis did not want to find God, and we feel with him that burning desire to run away once God has been discovered. The wonderful lightness and love that characterize many of Lewis's later works are not found here. Instead we see his defenses against God shattered one by one as he follows an intellectual path to belief. He tries his best to argue his way out of it, fighting every step of the way and using all the trivial excuses that human beings do, but we feel God's presence bearing down on him step by step like a great weight until he realizes that there is no escape. Lewis sees that it IS a burden at first if one has come to it honestly, because with it comes the realization that we are required to abandon ourselves and submit to God's will in order to find eternal peace. This is not an easy road for a human being to follow--indeed, it is the most difficult thing in the world for us to do, and Lewis knew that very well. We feel with him the pain and weight that came when he realized that there IS a God: the account of his final days as an atheist is absolutely excruciating for a reader who has had the same experience. One must actively and willingly choose to become what one is not by his very nature--what could be more difficult, particularly in this secular world?

Lewis's account of his spiritual journey shows that God can be discovered in the most unlikely places and in the most unlikely ways, no matter how hard we try to avoid Him. When we think we have trumped God, we find that He has in fact trumped us, always remaining well ahead of us on the path. Lewis's account often reads like a great chess match between one man and God, but it remains familiar because it is a match that we play again and again. As always, Lewis's honesty is disarming, his insight staggering, and his humor refreshing. I cannot recommend this book enough, but if you are looking for a biography of Lewis's life, this will not provide it. For that I recommend George Sayer's "Jack," but the best way to find out who Lewis was is to read his books.

"Surprised by Joy" is C.S. Lewis' auto-biographical book about the early, formational years of his life, which began with a vaguely religious upbringing, led into devout Atheism, and ended in Christ's drawing Lewis home. This book is excellent as auto-biographies (Christian or non-Christian) go as C.S. Lewis was one of the 20th Century's best story-tellers and an amazingly well-read professor at Oxford as well. Whether the reader is a Christian or not, C.S. Lewis makes this story entertaining and thought-provoking.

For those readers who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as Man's only possible salvation, this book will leave them marvelling repeatedly at how Christ works in the lives of those he calls. Any Christian reader of "Surprised by Joy" will find numerous similarities in the path C.S. Lewis' salvation took him down, and a Christian reader can't help but want to join him in praising Christ for his awesome goodness in the lives of human beings he touches.

One fascinating element in C.S. Lewis' life, which is so encouraging for Christians in a post-Christian era, is that Lewis was raised by brilliant men to be constantly curious but always logical... always seeking the truth. One of the men Christ used the most in saving C.S. Lewis was a staunch Atheist; a dry, pensive, professor who demanded a rigid adherence to logic in any belief or action. This man, the "Great Knock", as Lewis, his brother, and their father called him, was so influential in Lewis' mental development that Lewis devotes a whole chapter ("The Great Knock") to discussion of him. How fascinating that whereas many today believe a rigorous pursuit of knowledge and facts leads to agnosticism, in the life of the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th Century it led to a belief in the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

This is a book that I would recommend to anyone, but as "a must" to any Christian. While "Mere Christianity" is C.S. Lewis' best-selling book, and arguably has initiated more paths to Christ than any other book outside the Bible, "Surprised by Joy" presents a more complete understanding of those paths and their ultimate result.

As much as C.S. Lewis hems and haws in his preface about how suffocatingly subjective and uninteresting this book will be to many readers, there are few books in Lewis' corpus that I have gleaned more joy and help from. Lewis takes us on a tour through his adventures in joy, that peculiar longing for something that is itself more enjoyable than the thing longed for, this desire that he found ultimately only has its fulfillment in Christ, as joy is merely a longing for the heavenly. He brilliantly analyzes his earlier life, exposing his childhood follies and rejoicing in his youthful literary loves; several times I found myself laughing out loud about similar mistakes and mishaps I had fallen into. He scatters his typically brilliant social commentary and theological insight throughout the work, and a chapter never goes by without gaining a preciously helpful understanding of some important topic. This book is easily among the top three autobiographies I have ever read.

"I have tried so to write the first chapter that those who can't bear such a story will see at once what they are in for and close the book with the least waste of time." Go ahead and read that first chapter. You won't want to stop.

Judging from earlier reviews, you'll either love this one or you'll hate it. A quick scan of the ratings reveals that Christians love it while agnostics and atheists pan it. From 129 ratings out there, only four readers provided on-the-fence "3 star" reviews. By joining this lonely (objective?) crowd, I'm hoping to convince myself that writing review number 130 is not purely an exercise in conceit but can provide a different perspective on the work.

First, let's recognize that this book is really a combination of three prior, separate essays comprising two distinct topics. These topics are an apologetic of the Christian faith and a high-level review of fundamental Christian beliefs held across denominations. Those who offer blanket criticism appear to miss this distinction and view the entire work as an apologetic. In my view, these distinct components differ sharply in intent and quality and therefore deserve separate reviews.

As to the common threads throughout the work, they are largely positive. Readers of other Lewis works will be familiar with his wonderful ability to write in clear, concise, conversational prose and these gifts are on display throughout the book. His capacity for using metaphors and analogies if rightfully renowned and is particularly helpful in explaining complex beliefs and doctrine.

Unfortunately, the pure apologetic section of the work falls far short of it's target of providing a rational justification for the faith. Lewis attempts to structure logical deductive and inductive reasoning arguments to support his conclusion that there is a single God and that Jesus was his only Son. Surprisingly for one of Lewis' obvious intellect, his logic if rife with serious flaws. Two quick examples are symptomatic. First, Lewis states that "Reality is something you could not have guessed. This is one of the reason's I believe in Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed." What he means is that the world is complex and therefore a religion that accurately explains the world must be complex. Thus, because Christianity is complex, it accurately explains the world. This logic leaves seekers of religion free to accept any "complicated" belief system (in fact, the more complicated the better). Second, Lewis argues that Jesus must be the Son of God because the Bible makes it clear that he was "neither a lunatic nor a fiend" and that he must be either a lunatic/fiend or the Son of God. In addition to several deductive logic holes, the argument faces an obvious circularity problem (i.e. one believes what the New Testament says because Jesus is the Son of God and one believes He is the Son of God because of the Bible's description of his life). These and other similar examples of poor logic lead me to give a "2 star" rating to this section of the work.

For all the issues with Lewis' apologetic efforts, his attempt to provide an easily understandable, concise summary of the major cross-denominational Christian beliefs is outstanding. One can take issue with the lack of depth and breadth of coverage, but only if one does not clearly understand Lewis' objectives. His discussion of the cardinal virtues, the sin of pride and the trinity are among the most clearly articulated explanations I have seen. While the passage of time has exposed several of his points (e.g. the Christian wife's obligation to "obey" her husband) as no longer falling within the common Christian belief set, on the whole he clearly succeeds in his goals. Thus, I give a "4 star" rating to this section of the work.

The 2 and 4 stars equate to an overall 3 star rating. C.S. Lewis fans should read the book for an interesting perspective on his personal beliefs. Those looking for a clear explanation of those common beliefs that Christians hold dear would get great value from the work. Those looking for a compelling, rational defense of the faith would be better served looking elsewhere.

After reading several books on a similar topic that did nothing but confuse me, I was glad that I came upon C.S. Lewis's work. All of the other books about the existence of God are way off in their own world, and discourage anyone who feels lost in their ideas about God. This book really explained the reasons that God must exist, and then moved on to easily describe the major beliefs of Christians, without leaving anyone out in the cold on what the key issues actually are. This book is perfect for the agnostic, the atheist, and even the Christian that wants to know the logical and simple reasons that C.S. Lewis came to be a Christian. Over and over, his words made me see even the simplest concepts of religion in a completely new light. I was greatly impressed and have already read this book multiple times.

Having read Mere Christianity several times and then having read the BAD reviews on it I found the "one star crowd" to be a particularly bitter bunch, ignoring the weightier concepts and ignoring the whole scope of the book. Mr Lewis's life and work was a singular effort in defense of the faith (after his conversion) and anyone who sees a 200 odd page compilation of many of these insights as superficial is correct in only the most superficial way. It would take a book that was a decade in the making and more than an armful to exhaustively compile all the arguments and counter-arguments for and against the christian faith and Lewis gives a lively and accurate synopsis of the whole of apologetics. This is very readable stuff in a progressive manner that basically takes you from the starting point of believing that we exist, through the existance of moral law, a moral law-giver, a self revealing moral lawgiver, and finally arriving at a wise immortal man on a cross. The final sections of the book basically saw what we can think and know about reality basd on this situation and how we should then live. A wonderful book that a christian's heart will take as spiritual steak and potatoes and unbelivers will reel at as they begin to see the reasonableness of the God.

I only recently discovered the Trilogy, never having been much of a Lewis fan, and read them in order. Each book has its charms, but I especially enjoyed the way That Hideous Strength built on the "circles" of the Bad Guys, both at Bracton college and later at Belbury. Mark Studdock, a person possessing neither distinction, character, nor a talent for evil, has lived his life - and ruined it thereby - in a search for admission to 'the inner circle,' and any circle will do. He learns that each concentric circle, in addition to being more exclusive as he supposed, is also more evil and more banal.

The characterization of Stoddock is superb. Likewise the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Dimble and a few other minor characters. The book is almost worth reading just to gain the acquaintance of Mr. Bultitude.

Others are far less engaging. MacPhee - one of the most unidimensional characters I have ever read - is a continual annoyance. The whole build-up with Merlin, only to have him turn out completely powerless until "possessed" by the eldils, makes no sense to me at all. And then he - what? Explodes? Couldn't anyone have done that? And why do God and the angels need an Arthurian wizard, anyway?

But the biggest disappointment was Ransom himself. He went from being a lifelike, engaging fellow, in the first two books, to an idealized shadow. We never really learn how he goes from being a Cambridge don to a wealthy landowner and "the Pendragon." Who are these people who bequeath St. Anne's to him on the condition that he take the name "Fisher-King?" How did he become the Pendragon? No explanation.

This was hard to accept from such a brilliant writer. But that's not to say the book is unworthy of attention. I expect to read it again, probably soon, and will probably get more insights from it the second time through.

I believe much of the problem the Trilogy has with readers of my generation is that it is always classed as Science Fiction, which it certainly is not. People read it expecting familiar formulas, and don't know how to react when it turns out to be religious allegory. They should read more carefully. As with most of what he wrote, Lewis intended to illuminate more than to entertain.

Many fans of Lewis' work rate this lowest in the Space Trilogy; it lacks "Out of the Silent Planet"'s wonder and "Perelandra" lyricism. However, for a look at where a situationally-moral, rationalist, humanist society is bound to wind up, it is priceless.

The main characters are a young couple who got married out of love and are finding it hard going in "the real world". The wife, Jane, has an unusual ability to 'dream true' and when her dreams start applying to her own life, she finds it unsettling. Her husband, Mark, a young don (or professor) is no help; he's too wound up in college politics and the possibility of a job with a new scientific foundation to pay much attention to her.

The story really begins moving when the foundation, called Belbury, begins moving in on everyday life. But, as always with Lewis, there is a moral opposite ready to stand against Belbury; in it, we find an old friend and several new ones.

This book is astonishingly accurate about where society is now -- as with some of Lewis' other observations (Screwtape's toast to the college comes to mind), it's hard to remember that Lewis wrote them nearly 50 years ago -- they're that close to current events and modern society

The final book in Lewis's Space Trilogy finds Dr. Ransom confronting a huge international organization bent on the submission of the human race and given to all kinds of strange scientific experiments and with one supreme goal--to eliminate all free thinking and emotion. This organization, the N.I.C.E., uses the press, government reform programs, and all kinds of propaganda to make them seem like the new heroes in England, while slowly they subdue the government and begin a takeover of the world. It's Ransom's job to stop them, though this time he has some followers and aid from a recently awakened power that has long slept.

True to his style, Lewis makes this a very entertaining novel with a great underlying message. It is very well-written and teeming with symbolism that ultimately denounces the love of science over the love of God.

This book is a great read--highly recommended.