Grief Observed, a nonfiction book written by C. S. Lewis in 1961 (originally published under the pen name N. W. Clerk), is about how Joy Gresham's death affected him.

The Magician's Nephew (1955), book six in C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, is the book that Douglas Gresham reads in Shadowlands and which underscores its themes.

The Wind Singer is a children's book written by Nicholson in 2000 about a parallel world not unlike Narnia.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), book one in C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, also prominently features a wardrobe and is mentioned in Shadowlands.

84 Charing Cross Road, based on material by Helene Hanff and published in 1983, is a play that was adapted for the stage by James Roose-Evans. At its center is an unusual romance between an unlikely man and woman.