NONFICTION - Dec. 20, 1992

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (Henry Holt, $27.95) . The title is familiar to many, but the contents are not. A 17th-Century edition of the prayer book intended for daily use by members of the Church of England, The Book of Common Prayer carries passages to be read each morning and evening, as well as during solemn periods of prayer and reconciliation in the church year, such as Advent and Lent. Other pages are given over to such Christian rites of passage as baptism, matrimony and death. There are also less familiar prayers, such as the one for “the churching of women,” where new mothers presented themselves to the congregation for blessings: “Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give you safe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of Child-birth: you shall therefore give hearty thanks.” There are prayers at sea, once a daily requirement for the Royal navy, intended to be offered before a battle or after a victory (none seem intended for the occasion of defeat). And given the current state of affairs within England’s monarchy, invocations for the Royal family--once a part of evening prayers--take on an ironic air.

Reproductions from illuminated manuscripts illustrate the book’s small pages. A satin ribbon marker also enhances its richness. The text has gone through many revisions over time, and the elegant language of this edition, compiled by many of the same eloquent scholars and clergy who produced the King James version of the Bible, intends to restore the power of the word.