The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition Hardcover – March 2, 2021

This is a very fine hardback edition of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Unlike other editions (which are also very fine) from Cambridge Press and others, this is a so called “International Edition” meaning all of the English specific language has been substituted for more generic prayers for a nation’s leaders as opposed to the prayers for the King and Queen Consort etc. of the other traditional editions. Other than these minor changes (which makes the Book of Common Prayer more accessible to a wider audience), this edition contains all of the content one would expect in the 1662 book.The hardback cover is sturdy and decorative, and the pages are clean and crisp. There is a little ghosting through the blank pages, but this is not too noticeable. Readers should know that this book does not stay open on its own (which is important to some for a prayer book), but it does have a single red ribbon for place marking.As an owner of several editions of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, this one is my favorite.

This is a great little volume. If you are familiar with the classic editions of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), then this should be very familiar to you. This is the definitive text for worship in the Anglican way. It contains services for Morning and Evening Prayer along with a lectionary of readings. A service for Holy Communion, Baptism, Burial, Matrimony and so forth. It also has the Coverdale translation of the Psalter, a confessional statements in the 39 articles of Religion, a short catechism and a Homily (short sermon) on Justification (this is one of the Homilies taken from the First Book of Homilies, The Official sermons of the Church of England AND one of the formularies used to establish doctrine).To the person that stated there is a typo with "Jesu" on page 3; that is not a typo. That is the spelling the English 1662 BCP uses as well. It is also the way it is spelled on page 19.

When I first got this I was very excited because I wanted the full experience of the Book of Common Prayer and I wasn't disappointed. What immediately struck me was the reverential tone throughout. Especially in the entertainment-driven, bad doctrine environment of so much of modern evangelicalism, the contrast was pretty stark. And very welcome. I loved reading all the different services, from Morning and Evening prayer, to Communion, to Baptism, and Matrimony, and others besides. It includes resources such as the 39 Articles, the Creed of Athanasius, and a sermon on justification (salvation). There is even more to be explored and I'm looking forward to it. This is the international version so the language reflects that somewhat, but you still get the impact of this historic work.

The easiest part of the review is the physical quality of the book. It is exceptional (and quite a bargain). Some reviewers have complained that the compact size won't lie flat. This is a well-bound, thick book of handy size, so it is true that it will not lie open flat by itself. However, I'm not sure why this would be a problem for a prayer book, barring some special circumstance. I find it an ideal size. The single ribbon should also be sufficient, but can easily be supplemented by ribbon inserts for Catholic editions of Liturgy of the Hours that slide into the spine or less formal expedients. In short, this is a perfectly designed prayerbook to be used as such, and its compact size makes it handy to have and use.I was aware of the Anglican Church, of course, but outside of an admiration for C.S. Lewis, I had never seen it as having anything to do with me. Its use aboard 19th Century English warships piqued enough curiosity for me to order one for historical reasons. (Thank you Patrick O'Brian and Jack Aubrey.)I was astonished to find a brilliant prayer.resource that provided a straightforward route that covered vast territories of scripture in its morning and evening offices. And that with a minimum of page-flipping. (Even those proficient with the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours will appreciate this.) I loved the original lectionary that simply plods through scripture without many seasonal distractions. (A seasonal lectionary is included too.) The language is like the King James version of the Bible and every psalm and prayer are gems if that appeals to you.The Book of Common Prayer is indeed a treasure if the English language. And Cranmer and other English reformers skillfully brought together an improbable union of Roman Catholic and Reformed thought and worship that any Christian may admire. Thank you to IVP for bringing out such a beautiful and useful edition of this classic.

In terms of the contents, the 1662 BCP is great in the way it structures and directs your prayer life, sorting the fitting scriptures, psalms and hymns. It's a great place to start from if you want to learn how to pray orderly and regularly. Even though I'm not a native speaker of English, the literary style is clear and comprehendible to me, even though it's old fashioned, in a beautiful way of course.in terms of the book itself, the pages are very thick and feel high quality, the binding is tough and durable. It could be a little bigger (its about 15x9 cm) in my opinion, but I'm just a fan of large books. It's still comfortable to read and maybe good for you if you love small, portable books. Overall very good value for the price!

It'd easily get 5 stars, but the typos.....I've attached 3 photos, and I've only had the book for 2 days. I'm sure there are more.