What was the title of C.S. Lewis’s 1942 radio talks later collected as Mere Christianity?

C.S. Lewis’s 1942 radio talks later collected as Mere Christianity were titled Broadcast Talks. The first series was delivered for the BBC during the Second World War and was later revised and expanded in book form.

Lewis spoke to a broad British audience rather than addressing an academic theological audience. The talks explained basic Christian beliefs and moral ideas in direct language, helping establish his public reputation as a Christian apologist. The BBC broadcasts were overseen by James Welch, the corporation’s Director of Religious Broadcasting.

The material was published in stages. Broadcast Talks appeared in 1942, Christian Behaviour followed in 1943, and Beyond Personality in 1944. These three sections were eventually brought together as Mere Christianity, first published in 1952.

A common error is to call the original broadcasts Mere Christianity. That is the title of the later collected book. The initial 1942 volume was Broadcast Talks, making the publication history an important distinction between the radio series and the final book.