I thought we could use a thread on Orthodox prayer books and other devotional texts like the Psalter, and even Bibles.
Here are the books I primarily use.
Jordanville Prayer Book - The standard prayer book in ROCOR is popular with Orthodox Christians across jurisdictions because it's really just that good. The book is very sturdy and well made from quality materials, and I've used mine for a year almost every day and it's held up great. Long, detailed morning and evening prayer rules that you can adjust for your situation, and beautiful, KJV-style language. The only negatives are typos ("the Thy") and a fairly bland typeset and interior design, and a lack of dynamics. However, if you work a Psalm or two into your morning and evening prayer rule, that can help add some variety.
The Psalter According To The Seventy (the "Boston Psalter") - In my opinion, this Psalter from Holy Transfiguration Monastery (henceforth HTM) is the best Psalter out there for a variety of reasons. First, the book's materials, construction quality, typeset, and interior artwork far exceeded the modest $22 price tag. Second, this is the best translation of the Psalms I've seen - it's in the KJV style (and used for the Jordanville Prayer Book's Psalms) but translated from the Septuagint, per Orthodox usage. The language works extremely well when chanted aloud, and this translation is evocative, sometimes even a bit quirky, in a way that others I've handled tend to be a bit wooden. Note that my parish uses this translation for all their services. There is also a smaller version of this Psalter available, but I prefer this edition for the larger print and additional material not found in the smaller edition. Some may be bothered that this is published by a schismatic Old Calendarist group, but they were in communion with ROCOR when this book was produced in the 1970s.
Orthodox Book of Common Prayer - The Orthodox adaptation of the classic Anglican prayer book is widely used by Western Rite communities in the Antiochian Church and ROCOR. Quality materials and printing, though not as good as Jordanville or HTM's books. Has some nice features built in, including the classic Coverdale Psalter, a lectionary, and calendar of Saints. A great option if you want to try doing an Orthodox version of the English Daily Office at home.
Some others I have but don't use as often:
Jordanville Horologion - The main book you need to do the monastic Hours at home, the Horologion forms the backbone of most daily services. This is a fairly hardcore book, but a useful reference if you're interested in liturgics. Just make sure you have a music stand or something to place this (massive) book upon if you use it for prayer/reading.
Orthodox Christian Prayers - A popular book in OCA, this prayer book beats the Jordanville book in a few categories. Excellent typeset and interior design, more prayers for meals and various occasions, and bookmark ribbons. However, the materials and construction quality feel comparatively flimsy, and I don't like the language as much as the Jordanville book. I mostly use this one for mealtime prayers and miscellaneous occasions.
Old Rite Orthodox Prayer Book - Do you think the Jordanville prayer rule is too easy and want to bow after every other sentence? Do you want your pre-communion prayers to take as much time as watching a Disney movie? Do you just really dislike Patriarch Nikon and lament the loss of fur hats in the Russian Church? Say no more! This bilingual Old Believer book has you covered. Excellent quality printing and typeset, this is the most hardcore Orthodox prayer book I've found. But I rarely use it.
Some others I don't have, but have heard good things about:
HTM Prayer Book - Published by the lovable schismatics mentioned in my Psalter writeup above, I've heard good things about this one, but haven't handled one in the flesh yet.
HTM Book of Hours - A handheld, compact, and inexpensive alternative to the Horologion that lets you pray an abbreviated version of the monastic Hours at home. I've handled this book a few times and as usual, it's the typical high-quality, thoughtful product I've come to expect from HTM.
A Psalter for Prayer - Published by Jordanville, this Psalter represents Jordanville moving away from reliance on HTM's Psalter (and by extension, connection to a schismatic group) and is used in most newer Jordanville texts. This is a high quality translation based on Myles Coverdale's classic translation, but corrected according to the Septuagint. While there are many good things about this Psalter, I'm not crazy about the translation and feel it lacks character compared to HTM's, but your mileage may vary.
Would be interested to hear what prayer books and other associated texts you guys use. I realize I am absurdly nitpicky about this kind of thing, but perhaps some of you will find my analysis helpful.
Here are the books I primarily use.
Jordanville Prayer Book - The standard prayer book in ROCOR is popular with Orthodox Christians across jurisdictions because it's really just that good. The book is very sturdy and well made from quality materials, and I've used mine for a year almost every day and it's held up great. Long, detailed morning and evening prayer rules that you can adjust for your situation, and beautiful, KJV-style language. The only negatives are typos ("the Thy") and a fairly bland typeset and interior design, and a lack of dynamics. However, if you work a Psalm or two into your morning and evening prayer rule, that can help add some variety.
The Psalter According To The Seventy (the "Boston Psalter") - In my opinion, this Psalter from Holy Transfiguration Monastery (henceforth HTM) is the best Psalter out there for a variety of reasons. First, the book's materials, construction quality, typeset, and interior artwork far exceeded the modest $22 price tag. Second, this is the best translation of the Psalms I've seen - it's in the KJV style (and used for the Jordanville Prayer Book's Psalms) but translated from the Septuagint, per Orthodox usage. The language works extremely well when chanted aloud, and this translation is evocative, sometimes even a bit quirky, in a way that others I've handled tend to be a bit wooden. Note that my parish uses this translation for all their services. There is also a smaller version of this Psalter available, but I prefer this edition for the larger print and additional material not found in the smaller edition. Some may be bothered that this is published by a schismatic Old Calendarist group, but they were in communion with ROCOR when this book was produced in the 1970s.
Orthodox Book of Common Prayer - The Orthodox adaptation of the classic Anglican prayer book is widely used by Western Rite communities in the Antiochian Church and ROCOR. Quality materials and printing, though not as good as Jordanville or HTM's books. Has some nice features built in, including the classic Coverdale Psalter, a lectionary, and calendar of Saints. A great option if you want to try doing an Orthodox version of the English Daily Office at home.
Some others I have but don't use as often:
Jordanville Horologion - The main book you need to do the monastic Hours at home, the Horologion forms the backbone of most daily services. This is a fairly hardcore book, but a useful reference if you're interested in liturgics. Just make sure you have a music stand or something to place this (massive) book upon if you use it for prayer/reading.
Orthodox Christian Prayers - A popular book in OCA, this prayer book beats the Jordanville book in a few categories. Excellent typeset and interior design, more prayers for meals and various occasions, and bookmark ribbons. However, the materials and construction quality feel comparatively flimsy, and I don't like the language as much as the Jordanville book. I mostly use this one for mealtime prayers and miscellaneous occasions.
Old Rite Orthodox Prayer Book - Do you think the Jordanville prayer rule is too easy and want to bow after every other sentence? Do you want your pre-communion prayers to take as much time as watching a Disney movie? Do you just really dislike Patriarch Nikon and lament the loss of fur hats in the Russian Church? Say no more! This bilingual Old Believer book has you covered. Excellent quality printing and typeset, this is the most hardcore Orthodox prayer book I've found. But I rarely use it.
Some others I don't have, but have heard good things about:
HTM Prayer Book - Published by the lovable schismatics mentioned in my Psalter writeup above, I've heard good things about this one, but haven't handled one in the flesh yet.
HTM Book of Hours - A handheld, compact, and inexpensive alternative to the Horologion that lets you pray an abbreviated version of the monastic Hours at home. I've handled this book a few times and as usual, it's the typical high-quality, thoughtful product I've come to expect from HTM.
A Psalter for Prayer - Published by Jordanville, this Psalter represents Jordanville moving away from reliance on HTM's Psalter (and by extension, connection to a schismatic group) and is used in most newer Jordanville texts. This is a high quality translation based on Myles Coverdale's classic translation, but corrected according to the Septuagint. While there are many good things about this Psalter, I'm not crazy about the translation and feel it lacks character compared to HTM's, but your mileage may vary.
Would be interested to hear what prayer books and other associated texts you guys use. I realize I am absurdly nitpicky about this kind of thing, but perhaps some of you will find my analysis helpful.
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