Description
‘In the course of life we are in death.’
The words of the Book of Common Prayer have permeated deep into the English language everywhere the world. For just about 500 years, and for countless people, it has provided a background fanfare for a marriage or a funeral march at a burial. Yet this familiarity also hides a violent and controversial history. When it used to be first produced the Book of Common Prayer provoked riots and revolt, and it used to be banned before being translated into a host of global languages and adopted as the basis for worship in the united states and elsewhere to the present day.
This edition presents the work in three different states: the first edition of 1549, which brought the Reformation into people’s homes; the Elizabethan prayer book of 1559, familiar to Shakespeare and Milton; and the edition of 1662, which embodies the religious temper of the nation down to modern times.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics has made to be had the broadest spectrum of literature from all over the world. Every affordable volume reflects Oxford’s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and a lot more.