This classic book on the four 'Oxford Christians' is now available again with a new Preface by R.J. Reilly himself. Reilly provides insights into the literary, religious and philosophical background of these extraordinary writers and thinkers, and the remarkable effect of their work which endures in the public imagination.Devoting a chapter to each of Owen Barfield, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams and J. R. R. Tolkien, he explores their creative imagination and discusses their differences and similarities.