Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, According to the Use of the Church of England.
London: Printed by Charles Bill and the Executrix of Thomas Newcomb, 1706. (BRA0875)

The essential text for worship in the Anglican Church, the Book of Common Prayer was first published at London in 1549 by Richard Grafton under the direction of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and with the approval of King Edward VI and his Parliament. It underwent significant changes during the Elizabethan era, but after its reappearance following the Restoration under Charles II in 1662, it remained virtually unchanged until 1928. This handsome version of 1706 was specifically designed to fit a choir desk or lectern for public prayer. The large engraved frontispiece is a copy of that produced for the 1662 edition, showing worshippers entering an idealized classical house of prayer.