Includes bibliographical references (pages 471-477) and index.

From Holloway to Silvania -- 'The most talkative young man' -- The silver stair -- 'Marriages are made in heaven' -- The initiate -- 'The satanist' -- 'Why the devil does anyone ever get married?' -- Romantic theology -- Phyllis -- 'I can't do without you- I can't' -- Substitution -- Novels and the poetic mind -- 'They saved my life by three hours' -- 'I'm becoming a myth to myself' -- 'The staff work of the omnipotence' -- The order of the co-inherence -- 'A kind of parody of London' -- 'Bitter is the brew of exchange' -- A pioneer for the young poets -- 'It is not yet too late' -- 'Into the province of death.'

"This is a full biography of Charles Williams, an extraordinary and controversial figure who was a central member of the Inklings--the group of Oxford writers that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Charles Williams--novelist, poet, theologian, magician and guru--was the strangest, most multi-talented, and most controversial member of the group. A charismatic personality, he held left-wing political views, and believed that the Christian churches had dangerously undervalued sexuality. To redress the balance, he developed a "Romantic Theology," aiming at an approach to God through sexual love. He became the most admired lecturer in wartime Oxford, influencing a generation of young writers before dying suddenly at the height of his powers"-- provided by publisher.