Divine Office Volume 3

(I've added some photographs (under "Customer images") of the book you actually receive.)This is the third (of three) volumes of the "full" modern Catholic breviary, the Liturgy of the Hours; volume 1 covered Advent and Christmas, volume 2 Lent and Easter, and this one effectively covers the rest of the year: it's this one that will accompany you through the summer and autumn.These volumes are the pinnacle of a whole range of Collins books featuring content from the Liturgy of the Hours in the same style. In ascending order of size, it goes:- "Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer"- "Morning and Evening Prayer"- "Daily Prayer"- "The Divine Office" (3 vols)Each of these is effectively a step up, an expanded version of the last. There's no need for anyone to own all seven of these books, as the Divine Office contains everything in Daily Prayer, which in turn contains everything in Morning and Evening Prayer, etc etc; each time you step up, it renders the previous step redundant.This, the three-part Divine Office set, is the full-length version, the biggest of the lot. Between them, they contain everything that's in the smaller volumes, plus a lot of extra material - the introduction and user guide (the "General Instruction") is in volume 1, but all three contain many hours of prayer for each day of the year, as well as a healthy sampling of hymns, poems and prayers for specific purposes.The main draw here over the cheaper single-volume "Daily Prayer" is the fantastic Office of Readings, which gives a scriptural reading (different from the readings at Mass, drawn from a variety of different English translations and sometimes featuring selections from books which don't feature at Mass at all) and a non-scriptural reading, often a homily or commentary on the preceding scripture reading, for every single day of the year. You also get alternate (extra) readings for the Proper of Saints for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Australia, many of these readings providing very useful biographical or autobiographical material on a given saint as a complement to that day's Mass.For me, these readings are among the best parts of the whole breviary, and so these books are absolutely worth getting. This one is beautifully produced, crisply printed with six ribbons and a dark brown hardback cover - I don't agree with other reviewers' comments that the cream paper is too thin, it's not particularly opaque but actually feels quite a bit sturdier than most Bibles and Missals I've owned. (See the photos I uploaded for a better idea).I can't imagine living without these books now, and I recommend them without hesitation.

I bought this book to have access to the Office of Readings (also called Matins) as I was already in possession of Daily Prayer (which contains all the other hours). It's the thickest volume of the three and quite weighty. The US version, split into 4 volumes, is perhaps more portable - but their bible translation is poor. (Yes, even worse than the Jerusalem Bible!)For those already familiar with the other parts of the Office, this is the next step up. Giving access to a greater quantity of scripture and, particularly, writings of the Saints and other selections. It can serve as a springboard to further study, for those who are interested.Delivery was acceptably efficient.

This third volume of the Divine Office accomapnies one through the summer all the way up to Advent. The print is exquisite and the fine pages are a beauty to turn. The hefty size of the book is at first overwhelming but with a case it is just as handy as the other volumes. The Office of Readings, Laudes, Midday Prayer, Vespers and Night Prayer are all found in this book with British English. I can highly recommend the Divine Office for anyone who wishes to join in the unending chain of prayer around the globe and especially for those who wish a Bible-based prayer book. The Divine Office is accessible not only for religious but for anyone who desires to have a more structured way of praying and thus joining 2000 years of prayer tradition.

This beautifully produced divine office is part of a three volume set that offers structure to ones daily prayer, either for personal contemplative prayer or a community gathering. It allows you ease of flow through the divine office, alongside clearly defined sections for liturgy of the hours, feasts and memorials. Although is is a rather thick book, it is not excessively heavy, and it is bound with a stunning cover. A must have for regular daily prayer!

This was a replacement book for one I'd managed to lose... The format and typeface make it easy to study.I join in the Work of God with this prayer book at least four times a day - more if I can work in the time; a daily minimum of Office of Readings, Morning and Evening Prayer, (the latter also known as Vespers) and Compline (or Night Prayer).Many people do not take time to talk with God on a daily basis. With the help of this book you can enter into a regular and very personal dialogue with the Holy One.

I am delighted with this copy of the Divine Office Vol 3. Like all Amazon purchases it is very good value for money - the copy is like new and I got it at the best price on the web. I now need to buy Volume 2! It has everything one needs for praying the Daily Office at home.

I was disappointed to see that the separate leaflet with Psalms and other prayers frequently used in the Divine Office was not included in Volume 111 but was included in the other two volumes. I felt the volume was not complete.

I bought it as a set of three (all the three volumes). I got it for a cheaper rate and the quality is excellent!