Anglicanism

The 1662 revision of the Book of Common Prayer remains the official edition in the Church of England. It was the chief liturgical text of the Church of England throughout the history of the British Empire, and so had the most influence on the Anglican colonial and provincial Churches as they developed autonomy and created their own prayer books.

Secondary Literature on the Book of Common Prayer

Influences on the Creation of the English Book of Common Prayer:

For shelf-browsing resources on the BCP, go to BX 5145 -- Prayer Books. Book of Common Prayer.

Member churches of the Anglican Communion have historically translated, adapted, or created their own prayer books based on the tradition of the English Book of Common Prayer. The 1662 edition was widely influential during the period of British colonialism, and so many of the member church prayer books reflect this edition.

The library's reference collection contains many of the prayer books of Anglican Communion member churches. Consult a librarian for help locating a particular edition (paynelib@vts.edu), or browse the shelves beginning at REF BX 5145.

You may also locate these prayer books through a catalog subject search modeled on the following: [Name of Member Church] Liturgy Texts (for example, search Church of the Province of Nigeria -- Liturgy -- Texts for the prayer book of the Nigerian member church.

For a list of Anglican prayer books around the world, see the bibliography edited by Griffiths:

Secondary Literature on Anglican Prayer Books around the World

The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey (ed. Shattuck) contains many chapters and essays on prayer books around the world. This is a great resource for starting research. Most chapters have helpful bibliographies or recommended resources for further reading.

The Rare Books department at the VTS Library has an extensive collection of Books of Common Prayer, dating back to the 17th century. The collections represent all of the major revisions of the BCP. The strength of the collection is in American BCP's, but the library does hold a substantial collection of BCP's from the Church of England throughout the centuries as well.

These materials are open to students and researchers by appointment. Please email paynelib@vts.edu to set up a consultation.

Why research this rare book collection?

Researchers will find that the collection is invaluable to discovering how the Book of Common Prayer evolved over time. Many books in this collection are special editions, or include specifically edited prefaces representing periods of strife or doctrinal change. For instance, the library holds hand-edited American BCP's from the time of the American Revolution.

A portion of the collection has been partially catalogued -- American Books of Common Prayer