Below you will find a basic Anglican and Episcopal Studies Collection*.
Books:
Worship Resources
On and About Worship
Introduction and Overview
History
The Christian Life
Worship Resources
Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church: Together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, According to the Use of the Episcopal Church. New York: Church Publishing, 1979.
The current prayer book in use in the Episcopal Church. Typically abbreviated as BCP.
The Book of Common Prayer: And Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1940.
The previous prayer book in use in Episcopal congregations, in official use until 1978. Still referred to by many as “the old prayer book.”
The Book of Occasional Services. New York: Church Publishing, 2018.
Offers services and rites not used in congregational worship frequently enough to warrant inclusion in the BCP but frequently enough to need to be expressed. Includes blessing of the animals, professing religious vocations, and church planting. A 2022 edition is available though not freely available online.
Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 Conforming to General Convention 2018. New York, NY: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2019.
Typically abbreviated as LFF, this book features brief biographies, collects, and daily readings for saint’s and other remembrances of the church year.
Enriching Our Worship: [Morning and Evening Prayer, the Great Litany, the Holy Eucharist]: Supplemental Liturgical Materials. 1. New York: Church Pub. Inc, 1998.
Additional worship materials allowed for use in the Episcopal Church.
Enriching Our Worship: Ministry with the Sick or Dying, Burial of a Child: Supplemental Liturgical Materials. 2. New York: Church Pub, 2000.
Additional worship materials approved for use in the Episcopal Church for specific situations not felt to be adequately addressed in the 1979 BCP.
Enriching Our Worship. 3, Burial Rites for Adults: Together with a Rite for the Burial of a Child. New York: Church Publishing, 2006.
Additional worship materials approved for use in the Episcopal Church for specific situations not felt to be adequately addressed in the 1979 BCP.
Enriching Our Worship: Supplemental Liturgical Materials. 5: Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss. New York: Church Pub, 2009.
Additional worship materials approved for use in the Episcopal Church for specific situations not felt to be adequately addressed in the 1979 BCP.
Ministry with the Sick (New York: Church Publishing, 2005).
A pocket-sized book especially useful in pastoral situations. Includes prayers for healing but also for difficult treatment choices, memory loss, and surviving violence.
Song
The Hymnal 1982 (New York.: Church Publishing, 1985).
The primary hymnal of the Episcopal Church.
Horace Clarence Boyer, ed., Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (New York, N.Y: Church Pub, 1993).
Features many African American standards and fuller harmonies of hymns in the Hymnal 1982. Also has service music settings in the African American tradition.
Wonder , Love , and Praise : A Supplement to the Hymnal 1982 (New York: Church Publishing, 1997)
Features many new hymns and service pieces as well as favorites of those from other traditions.
Voices Found: Women in the Church’s Song (New York: Church Publishing, 2003).
Primarily focuses on the work of women
The Hymnal, 1940: With Supplements I and II ; According to the Use of the Episcopal Church (New York: Church Hymnal Corp., 1961).
The hymnal prior to the Hymnal 1982. May contain congregational favorites.
On and About Worship
Marion J. Hatchett, Commentary on the American Prayer Book, 1. HarperCollins paperback ed (San Francisco, Calif: Harper, 1995).
“Traces and comments upon the sources, history, and development of each of the rites and formularies of the book from the earliest known forms until the present day.”
Charles Hefling and Cynthia Shattuck, The Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey (New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2008).
A “guide to the history and usage of the original Book of Common Prayer and its variations” throughout the world with contributors from several denominations.
Dennis Michno and Christopher Webber, A Priest’s Handbook: The Ceremonies of the Church, 3rd ed (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub, 1998).
A guide to liturgical officiating and celebrating the rites of the Episcopal Church, including vestment colors, gestures, and prayer and liturgical options for Eucharists, daily offices, and more.
Paul Victor Marshall, Prayer Book Parallels: The Public Services of the Church Arranged for Comparative Study, Anglican Liturgy in America, v. 1-2 (New York: Church Hymnal Corp, 1989).
Brings together “the public services and pastoral offices” of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer in columns parallel to their predecessors. Compares several BCPs from 1662 through 1979.
Massey, Hamilton Shepherd, Jr, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary London: Oxford University Press,1928)
Gives an in-depth examination of the makeup of every piece of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Planning for Rites and Rituals: A Resource for Episcopal Worship, Year A, 2022-2023 (New York, NY: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2022). Year B Coming Soon
“A liturgical season planner for worship including suggestions for each season: rites, blessings, prayers, litanies, pageants. Readings, psalms, worship, formation, and hymn suggestions for each Sunday and holy day.”
Dennis Michno and Richard E. Mayberry, A Manual for Acolytes: The Duties of the Server at Liturgical Celebrations(Wilton, Conn: Morehouse-Barlow Co, 1981).
A general how-to guide for the different roles of an acolyte with variations for local contexts.
Roger E. Van Harn, Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Texts (W B Eerdmans Pub Co, 2005).
A three-volume set with exegesis of the readings for each Sunday. Vol 1 covers the Hebrew Scriptures, Vol 2 the Epistles, and Vol 3 the Gospels.
Introduction and Overview
The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church Together with the Rules of Order (New York: Church Publishing, 2022)
Governing document of the Episcopal Church which is revised every three years in accordance with General Convention.
Mark D. Chapman, Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2006).
The short book provides a detailed chronological and thematic history of Anglican. However, the book was published during a tumultuous time in the Anglican Communion’s history, which is reflected towards the end of the text and is in need of updating.
Ian S. Markham, ed., The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion (Chichester, West Sussex, UK ; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).
“Provides a global account of the history, expansion, diversity, and contemporary issues facing the Anglican Communion
James Rosenthal, ed., The Essential Guide to the Anglican Communion (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub, 1998).
Captures the essence of the faith and practice of the worldwide Anglican Communion, this brief but comprehensive guide includes sermons, essays, historical information, hymns, and listings. It is an essential tool for all those interested in Anglicanism (source)
Samuel Wells, What Episcopalians Believe: An Introduction (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub, 2011).
“A collection of essays by top Episcopal thinkers on various topics, including faith and reconciliation.”
History
Colin O. Buchanan, Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism, Second Edition, Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015).
“Covers the history of Anglicanism through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, concepts and institutions, rituals and liturgy, events and national communities.”
Ian T. Douglas and Pui-lan Kwok, eds., Beyond Colonial Anglicanism: The Anglican Communion in the Twenty-First Century (New York: Church Pub. Inc, 2001).
“A collection of essays by a cadre of international authors that examine the nature and shape of the Communion today [including] the colonial legacy; economic tensions and international debt; sexuality and justice and more”
Diarmaid MacCulloch, Thomas Cranmer: A Life, Revised edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016).
A definitive autobiography of the architect of the Book of Common Prayer and the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury.
Peter Benedict Nockles, The Oxford Movement in Context: Anglican High Churchmanship, 1760-1857 (Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994).
“Sets the Oxford Movement in its historical and theological context. Conducts a rigorous examination of the nineteenth-century Catholic revival in the Church of England, and shows that, in many respects, this revival had been anticipated by a revival of the Anglican High Church tradition in the preceding seventy years. (source)
T. H. L. Parker, ed., English Reformers, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006).
Contains concise, detailed biographies of nine Englishman writing before the 16th century.
Robert W. Prichard, A History of the Episcopal Church, Third revised edition (New York, NY: Morehouse Publishing, 2014).
A comprehensive history of the Episcopal Church
Richard H. Schmidt, Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2002).
“Covers twenty-nine of the most influential Anglican figures from the sixteenth century to the present”
Tracts for the Times. Various Authors, England, 1833-1841.
A series of writings that led to the Oxford movement and Anglo-Catholicism.
William L. Sachs and Robert Stewart Heaney, The Promise of Anglicanism (London: SCM Press, 2019).
Explores diasporic Anglicanism and its future.
The Christian Life
Paul D. L. Avis, Reconciling Theology: Conflict and Convergence in Theology and Church (London: SCM Press, 2022).
“Focuses on the perennial Christian of argument, debate, polemic and conflict, [as well as], and dialogue, search for common ground, working for agreement and harmony.”
Ralph McMichael, Vocation of Anglican Theology: Sources and Essays (London: Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2014).
“Presents a contemporary Anglican theology rooted in its sources but reaching into the [future with essays from] a range of leading Anglican theologians [who] reflect on subjects such as Christology, ecclesiology and eschatology.”
Leonel L. Mitchell and Ruth A. Meyers, Praying Shapes Believing: A Theological Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, Revised Edition, Weil Series in Liturgics (New York: Seabury Books, 2016).
An updated, readable, theological commentary on that walks through the Book of Common Prayer.
Geoffrey Rowell, Kenneth Stevenson, and Rowan Williams, eds., Love’s Redeeming Work: The Anglican Quest for Holiness (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2003).
This work “draws together the writings of most of the major writers from the sixteenth century to the present day who have contributed to the spirituality and theology of the contemporary church.
William Stringfellow, An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land, 2004 ed (Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock, 2004).
“Identifying America as a fallen nation with the parable of Babylon in the Book of Revelation – not with Jerusalem the holy nation, as Americans are naively and vainly wont to do – Dr. Stringfellow issues as trenchant an indictment of our society”
Stephen Sykes, Unashamed Anglicanism, Reprint (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1996).
Explores Anglicanism’s roots, doctrines, and how they can be used to enrich the world.
Rowan Williams, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).
“Full of sensitive pastoral advice and theological insights, this book explores the meaning and practice of these four essential components of the Christian life”
Online Resources
An Episcopal dictionary of the church
Just what it says.
ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
“Atla Religion Database, is the premier index of articles, reviews, and essays in all fields of religion and theology, and offers significant breadth and depth of subject areas and languages covered.” This database is typically available to seminarians, university students, and alumni through their institution.
The Forward Movement
This organization supplies online and print resources to enhance the daily prayer life of Christians. This ranges from different formats of daily prayer to prayerbooks, daily reflections, booklets, podcasts, and more.
Hymnary.org
An online hymn and worship music database that allows searching and browsing hymns and hymnals by title, tune, meter, key, scripture reference, lectionary, and more and features backgrounds to composers, authors, and translators. Also allows for transposing and resizing public domain hymns.
Project Canterbury
The internet’s most extensive place for all things relating to Anglican history. Books, pamphlets, archived letters, and entire collections are found in searchable formats.
Society of Archbishop Justus
SoAJ is the home of Anglicans Online, Oremus Bible Browser, and Thinking Anglicans blog, as well as a database of hundreds of Books of Common Prayer from dozens of countries and indigenous groups going back to the original 1549 and continuing to the present.
The Archives of the Episcopal Church
Incudes past convention legislation and online exhibits.
Journals
Anglican and Episcopal History
The Journal of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, is a “peer-reviewed journal that seeks to raise the level of discussion, provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, and review books of worth and interest to educated Anglicans.”
Anglican Theological Review
“A journal of theological reflection. In the spirit of sound learning that has been the hallmark of Anglican divinity, its aim is to foster scholarly excellence and thoughtful conversation in and for the church” – mainly US and Canadian.
Journal of Anglican Studies
“A peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on the history, theology, and practice of Anglicanism.” Originally started in Australia, it is currently based out of Cambridge University Press.
*Quotation marks indicate a material’s description of itself.
Allie Graham Research and Communications 