The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments with The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New Newly Translated Out of the Original Tongues.

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Item Number: 103231

Cambridge: John Field, 1666-1668.

Rare 17th century Book of Common Prayer bound with the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible and Book of Psalms. Octavo, bound in full contemporary red morocco with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, green morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt floral and urn decorations to the front and rear panels within gilt Greek key ruling, gilt decorated central sacred initialed onlays in white and green morocco within gilt-stamped flames, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, ribbon bound in, blue silk doublures and liners backed with marbled papers. Originally a bookseller, English printer John Field became printer to the English Parliament and Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1649. In 1655, Field was appointed printer to the University of Cambridge, the year in which Cromwell ordered the copyright of the Bible to be entered to him and Henry Hills in the Stationers’ Registers. This act was virulently opposed by many competing printers. Field printed many editions of the Bible, notably a quarto edition in 1648, a duodecimo edition in 1652, and a 32mo edition in 1653, all of which were noted for the number of misprints contained and their excessive price, for which Field was fiercely attacked by those whose trade had been injured by the monopoly given to him and Hills by Cromwell. In near fine condition. A highly desirable and near perfect example.

The Book of Common Prayer was created out of English Reformation leader Thomas Cranmer's desire for a liturgical text that all of Europe's Protestant, English-speaking churches could agree on. The Book of Common Prayer was first issued in 1549 during the reign of Edward VI and revised through the reign of Mary I, James II, and ending significantly in 1832. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign of Edward VI, was the first prayer book to include the complete forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English. Its magisterial liturgical language is, "as a source of spiritual inspiration for most Englishmen second only to the Bible" (PMM 75).