The Book of Common Prayer is one of the most extraordinary books in history. As well as a means of worshiping the creator, it provides a way of coming to terms with pain, pleasure, and sorrow, and forms one of the richest sources of social memory in the English language.

In this Oxford World’s Classics audio guide, Brian Cummings discusses the importance of The Book of Common Prayer in daily life in England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and beyond. He also talks about his experience of editing the book and its widespread impact on language and culture. To listen to the audio guide click on the links below.

Brian Cummings is Professor of English at Sussex University.

What kind of text is The Book of Common Prayer?

1. Brian Cummings began by outlining what the task of editing this book entailed. How did he decide which of several early editions of the text he would present, and what was involved in annotating the book for modern readers? He describes the challenge  here [3:39].

2. In his introduction to the book, Brian Cummings says, “Medieval life was highly liturgical”. I asked him to explain what he meant by that. Click here [4:54].

3. Brian Cummings refers to The Book of Common Prayer as a “performative text”. Here he explains what this means [3:01].

How it was created and received

4. I asked whether, when Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy was passed in 1534, it was simply a matter of time before the language of worship in England switched from Latin to English. Click here [3:09].

5. How was The Book of Common Prayer created? What pre-existing sources did it draw on? Click here to find out [5:38].

6. I asked Brian Cummings to situate The Book of Common Prayer in the wider context of sixteenth-century print culture. Listen to his response here [2:29].

7. How did the people react to the introduction – indeed, imposition – of The Book of Common Prayer in every church in England? Click here [4:42].

Later editions, lasting influences

8. A turbulent century had passed between the first edition of the book in 1549 and the new edition of 1662, which was to hold sway for three hundred years. Click here to hear how and why the 1662 edition came about [4:27].

9. Finally, Brain Cummings reflects on the language of The Book of Common Prayer and its influence on English. Click here [2:55].