
Following C.S. Lewis's death in 1963, an English professor at Wheaton College by the name of Dr. Kilby wanted to honor the author's life and legacy with a collection of his works and personal belongings. Before long the collection grew to include items owned and/or written by other authors that were influences on Lewis. Such a collection wouldn't be complete without some reference to one of Lewis's best friends and the man that brought him to Christ, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Besides collecting many of Tolkien's works and even several of his letters, the Marion E. Wade Center (the new name for the collection/museum) was able to purchase his very own desk-the same desk on which he completely produced The Hobbit and drafted portions of The Lord of the Rings and "The Silmarillion."
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All images gathered from sources on the internet |

Besides the mentioned Tolkien objects, the museum also hosts several of Lewis's belongings including his very own wardrobe that he played in as a child and his desk. Having known Narnia much longer than Middle-earth, this was also extremely exciting for me. Beside the wardrobe on the wall hangs the original map of Narnia drawn by Pauline Baynes, an artist who is also famous for illustrating several of Tolkien's works (e.g. Farmer Giles of Ham and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil).

After taking a final peek at Tolkien's desk and the other items on display it was time to leave. Instead of stepping through a wardrobe into a snowy wood we had to step back into the bitterly cold, smelly ice rink.
It was an enjoyable visit and if you are a Tolkien or Lewis fan and happen to be in the western side of Chicago I highly recommend you go. You can find more information about the Marion E. Wade Center at their website here: http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter
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