About the Library
A reading library of Anglican divinity: the English divines from the Reformation to the early twentieth century, the formularies of the Church, and the Fathers they read.
Where to begin
Find a work by title or author, begin with a reading shelf, or follow a subject through the books. The formularies provide another entrance: the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Homilies, and the Ordinal.
As searchable texts become available, Scripture references lead to passages that cite them. Research tools gather original excerpts and let you compare writers; a personal commonplace book keeps the passages and notes you want to return to.
The books and their sources
Each work records its source and distinguishes catalogue metadata from text available to read here. A listing is a finding aid; it does not establish that an edition has been transcribed or reviewed. Names, dates, and attributions are checked as the catalogue is prepared.
The catalogue and reading editions are being prepared. Full-text search is disabled while the corpus is rebuilt. The library is scheduled to open on December 1st, 2026.
How the books are chosen
The measure is Scripture as the rule, read in the sense the primitive Church received it, with the Book of Common Prayer, the Articles, the Homilies, and the Ordinal as the settled expression of that faith. Books are gathered because they belong to that tradition or help readers understand the writers it engages. What the divines held, they are allowed to say.
Transcription and editorial review
Machine transcription can misread old spelling, Greek, damaged pages, and notes. Reading editions identify their source and editorial status. Available version and correction records make changes traceable. Original scans let you check the words yourself; the citation guide explains how.
Search models help locate passages. Research results present source excerpts with attribution, and a match should be read in context before treating it as an author's position. Reader notes remain separate from the books.
The printed page
The paper, ornaments and red-and-brown palette take their cue from the scanned copy of Charles Wheatly’s A Rational Illustration of the Book of Common Prayer, third edition (London, 1720). Its title page lends the library its spaced capitals and fine double rules. The floral headpiece and closing ornament on this page come from the preface (pages xi and xx); the ornament above the login form comes from page 350, and the small floral divider from page 189. The text is set in EB Garamond.
Help improve the library
Signed-in readers can report problems from the reader. Suggestions about the catalogue or missing works are also welcome at admin@anglicanlibrary.com.
