Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reason and Beauty in the Poetic Mind | 1933 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 2 | James I | 1934 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 3 | The New Book of English Verse | 1935 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 4 | Rochester | 1935 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 5 | Henry VII | 1937 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 6 | The Descent of the Dove | 1939 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 7 | The Forgiveness of Sins | 1942 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 8 | The Figure of Beatrice | 1943 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 9 | Arthurian Torso | 1948 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 10 | The Image of the City | 1958 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 11 | William Tyndale | 1969 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 12 | Outlines of Romantic Theology with Which is Reprinted, Religion & Love in Dante | 1978 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 13 | He Came Down from Heaven | 1984 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 14 | Letters to Lalage | 1989 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 15 | Essential Writings in Spirituality and Theology | 1993 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 16 | The Detective Fiction Reviews of Charles Williams, 1930-1935 | 2003 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 17 | Outlines of Romantic Theology | 2005 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 18 | Poetry at Present | 2008 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 19 | Queen Elizabeth | 2010 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 20 | Stories of Great Names | 2010 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 21 | Flecker of Dean Close | 2013 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
| 22 | A Short Life of Shakespeare with the Sources | 2016 | Charles Walter Williams | Buy |
Charles Walter Williams’s non-fiction output is his largest body of work, with 22 titles spanning biography, theology, literary criticism, and letters. His biographies of English monarchs and literary figures appeared through the 1930s: James I (1934), Rochester (1935), and Henry VII (1937) are concise historical portraits written for general readers.
His theological works include The Descent of the Dove (1939), a history of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and He Came Down from Heaven, which develops his idea of “co-inherence” as a principle of Christian community. The Forgiveness of Sins (1942) continued this theological line. The Figure of Beatrice (1943) applies his ideas about romantic love and theology to Dante’s work and remains his most-read critical book.
Later publications include posthumous collections like The Image of the City (1958), Letters to Lalage (1989), and The Detective Fiction Reviews of Charles Williams (2003), which gathers his book reviews from the 1930s. Reprints and new editions have continued to appear through 2016.