A Prayer for All Seasons

There are many different opinions over the origin of the word collect. The Latin collecta means a gathered together. Whatever its origin, however, the collect is a very ancient prayer. This delightfully illustrated book contains the collects from the Book of Common Prayer. Some date back to the time of Leo I, more to Gelasius, and yet more to Gregory the Great. The wording of them in their present form owes much to that liturgical genius Thomas Cranmer, the sixteenth century archbishop and martyr. The collects are a perfect example of the Book of Common Prayer which itself was compiled at a time when for beauty of rhythm and splendour of diction, our language was at its zenith. Time and faith have hallowed this work, and the Prayer Book is now hailed as one of the supreme achievements of the English tongue. The wonderful prayers here are framed with enchanting illustrations which augment and enhance the beauty of the language. A Prayer for all Seasons was originally published by the Prayer Book Society in 1987. This new edition benefits from a clearer and more attractive layout. It starts with the Morning Prayers and continues with those from Christmas, Advent, Easter and the Saints'' Days, concluding with the prayers for Holy Communion. Delightfully illustrated with nineteenth-century woodcuts, this is a must for anyone who appreciates the antiquity and beauty of the language of the Book of Common Prayer. With a Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales, an Introduction by Ian Curteis and an Afterword by the Bishop of London.