[External link] Everyman's History of the Prayer Book, by Percy Dearmer. D. D. (At Justus.anglican.org)
Percy Dearmer (1867 - 1936) was a Christian socialist and probably best-known as the author of A Parson's Handbook, a popular guide to the ritual and conduct of Anglican liturgies. He was also chief editor of The English Hymnal, one of the major hymnals of the Church of England. In this 250-page book he gives an accessible account of the history and content of the Book of Common Prayer, as it existed in 1912 when the book was written. One can see from this book that the author was deeply appreciative of the tradition and sources of the Book of Common Prayer, but in no way blind to its shortcomings, as he perceived them. He has strong opinioins of the way development of the Book of Common Prayer should take (or should have taken), but, in most cases his opinions have been vindicated by subsequent events.
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