The Anglican Office Book: Part 1
- Catholic Book Reviews
- May 13, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 1, 2021
Preface: I sincerely apologize for not posting this yesterday, as promised. My first attempt was a video review, which sadly did not turn out as hoped. The pictures below are all taken 2021-MAY-13, the day after delivery.
After over three months of waiting, my copy of the newly published Anglican Office Book arrived yesterday—just in time for Ascension! For the past several months I have held off on reviewing other books until this one could at least be introduced. Those of us who are "liturgical geeks", breviary & missal collectors, and supporters of Anglo-Christian patrimony have been buzzing with anticipation and excitement since C. Lance Davis created The Anglican Office Book group on Facebook on October 15, 2020. For those who are not familiar with the Anglican Office Book, please read about it here.
On February 5, 2021, I pre-ordered the Anglican Office Book (henceforth referred to as AOB) for 75.00 USD plus 24.00 USD from Whithorn Press (the publishing ministry of St. Andrew's Lake Almanor in Chester, CA). While I may have had to wait about 3 mont
hs since pre-order to receive my copy, you will be glad to know the publisher now has stock (583 available, as of this moment) and can ship quickly. Once I received notification of shipment, it took about 7 business days to arrive in my mailbox. My AOB arrived inside a well-fitted cardboard box, wrapped with bubble wrap and additional foam warp. If that does not indicate the level of care put into each order, you should see how the book was wrapped! The AOB came wrapped in a brown packing paper with elaborate folds, like gift-wrapping paper, with a wax seal.
The cover is a leatherette, very similar to the Monastic Diurnal by Lancelot Andrewes Press, with gold debossed lettering (and a Canterbury cross). The binding is a sewn binding, so as with all books with a sewn binding you must be careful to break it in properly before regular use. To top off the construction, it has six ribbons—an absolute minimum for any breviary—and they are evenly spaced across the spine.
The paper is a clean white scritta paper with gold-gilt edges and feels to be around 30 to 35 GSM--slightly heavier than the Breviarium Romanum and Liturgy of the Hours. Page corners are rounded (essential in preventing page damage and fatigue), and have a matte texture that is very easy on the eyes. The black and red text are in a comfortable font, easy enough to read next to a bedside lamp.
I’ve been able to use the AOB for Evensong last night and Matins this morning, and so far I can say it is extremely intuitive and user friendly. At no point did I have to stop and double check where I was—even with the Athanasian Creed this morning (excellent placement). That said, it has just been one day.
After a few weeks or months of using the AOB I will be back with a more thorough review. In the meantime, I strongly recommend the Anglican Office Book to anyone looking for their “one and only.”
Blessed Feast of the Ascension!
Deo gratias
Did you enjoy this blog entry? Would you like to see more like this? Was there something you would like to know about this breviary that was not addressed here? Is there a particular breviary, prayer book, Bible, or missal you would like me to review? Please let me know down in the comments or send me a message.
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