The 1928 Book of Common Prayer

The book is well-made. it is small enough to be portable.. but not too small.. just the right size and weight! The cloth cover and sewn binding is durable; the paper clear, thick, and white; and the print dark, with the font sufficiently large and easy to read. Overall excellent!The contents itself is, of course, beyond reproach. It is a classic: the 1928 version of the BCP of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA.It uses Elizabethan English, just like the 1662 BCP, which i find elegant and solemn.This is a great book to buy and collect, and to keep on the shelf for laymen and ministers alike. it is also very useful for personal as well as small-group prayer.

I am a fairly new Anglican/Episcopalian, but I've known for a few years that the proposed 1928 BCP of the Episcopal Church is very highly regarded and seems very popular with younger Anglicans like myself, so I had to get myself a physical copy of it. This version seemed to be of high quality from reviews and photos, so I bought this one. I was delighted when I received it, mainly for how beautiful and compact it is. Although this is "leather bound," it should be noted that the cover of this book is like a standard hardcover and more rigid, and not a flexible sewn binding like the "deluxe personal edition" 1979 BCP. However, this may be a good thing to you as this allows the book to stay open on its own easily. The cover with the gold decoration is simple but beautiful, as are the gilded pages. It is also very compact and easy to travel with. It is about the same length and width as a standard 1979 BCP, but half the thickness (about the same thickness as the Deluxe Personal 1979). It also comes in a sleeve, so you can store it easily without risking damage to the cover.As for the formatting of the content within, this is an EXACT reproduction of the original Seabury Press versions of the 1928 BCP. The only real difference I can find is the publisher name, which of course is the Oxford University Press for this version. Oxford seems to have taken on the reproduction of some of the former Seabury publications, and I think they've done an admirable job here. However, in comparison to more modern versions of the BCP, I do find this one harder to read and pick out certain passages just because of how the text is formatted. But this is just a product of the original formatting of the book, which Oxford has not modified.If readability is a big concern for you, then this may not be your favorite prayer book, but if you want a faithful reproduction of the original 1928 BCP, this is as good as it gets. If you know someone who loves this particular prayer book or is just a fan of traditional KJV-style language, I think this would make an awesome and thoughtful gift.

I spent a while on an Amazon waiting list trying to get an Oxford Press 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Since that didn't work out, I spent some time looking on eBay for a used copy - and saw all of the legitimate 1928 BCP's getting snapped up by others at $30 or more for particularly fine versions.After observing this demand for months, I was dismayed to find out that with the millions of volumes of Amazon offerings, this particularly valuable book was relatively difficult to obtain. Thus, I was very pleased on a visit to Amazon for another purchase to see this edition with the notation IN STOCK (when I wrote this review in 2007, the message said "one left - more on the way" but now [2010] Amazon appears to be keeping the book regularly available, praise God).I think non-continuing Anglicans don't realize this is the official Prayer Book for a number of churches and denominations; to them, this may be yet another edition of a book for which a "newer, better" edition exists (newer not always being better). Also, that our numbers are growing as more individuals and parishes confront the issues concerning current politics and controversies. Frankly, amidst the plethora of misinformation concerning translations and allegedly "evolving" editions, I have now learned how faithful this 1928 BCP is - the Nicene Creed, as well as other prayers, are faithful to the words spoken by centuries of Anglicans. For those searching for faithfulness in worship despite politics and agendas, for Americans and many other English-speakers, this is the version to get.As for the book itself... The picture here is that of the box. The actual book is hard-cover, and well-bound - with two ribbon markers (which we Anglicans need!). The typeface is similar to actual older editions. Please note that this edition is the 1928 version approved by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA; also, that the Nicene Creed has the pesky typo from the "approved" version (it should read "one HOLY Catholic and Apostolic church").I am very satisfied and pleased that this BCP is readily available. I pray that Amazon will continue to supply these fine volumes to a hungry market, and that we of faith will tell others so that this 1928 BCP remains readily available.

Since I graduated and went off to college I've not had a BCP in the house. I finally decided that I wanted one of my own so I went to the local Christian bookstore but all they had was the more recent edition. I prefer the language of the 1928 for the family morning and evening prayers, Creeds, etc. This example is very well executed. The binding feels robust but flexible enough for comfortable reading at a desk. The pages are light and the edging is elegant. The cover is soft to the touch but certainly rigid enough to protect the contents through a lifetime of frequent use. There are two marker ribbons which is very convenient so I can keep my place in the Psalter and at the family prayers. In retrospect, I would have liked to have my name embossed on the cover to personalize it but overall I am very satisfied with this purchase and the value for my dollar.