Church of England. Book of Common Prayer. Edinburgh: Robert Young, 1637.
A.H. Reed’s original gift of 1948 included a small number of liturgical works, or prayer books, which he considered an appendage to his (at that time small) biblical collection. Over time, however, the liturgical books gifted by Reed became a distinct sequence within the Reed Collection. This case contains a selection of 17th and 18th century books of common prayer donated by Reed.
The Book of Common Prayer is one of the most influential books in history. For nearly five centuries it has formed the order of worship for England’s established Church. As British imperialist ambitions spread, and with it the Anglican Church, the BCP became an instrument of English culture worldwide.
First published in 1549 in the reign of the boy king Edward VI, the BCP came into being as part of the English Reformation, to declare the victory of Church of England over Rome. It was the first prayer book to include the complete forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English.
