Bridwell Library, SMU: Personal prayer books exhibit begins Feb. 2

Bridwell Library at Perkins School of Theology, SMU, announces the Feb. 2 opening of an exhibition of ancient and modern personal prayer books held by the library’s Special Collections. The exhibition will highlight 60 books dating from the 13th to the 20th centuries that were intended to direct the soul heavenward in prayer and inward in spiritual contemplation.

Easily held in one’s hands, the books reflect a devotional intimacy that helps the viewer understand the meaning of personal daily prayer and piety in centuries past. The books include medieval manuscripts of Latin Psalters, Breviaries, and Books of Hours; early printed manuals for personal devotion in various languages; Hebrew Psalters; illuminated manuscripts for Muslim prayer; and a variety of modern publications for individual Christian prayer. These books were designed to enhance private spirituality in ways that extended beyond what could be achieved through congregational forms of worship. At the same time, many of them were also treasured personal possessions whose physical beauty still engages us today.

The exhibition, on view in the Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Galleries from Feb. 2 through May 1, is free and open to the public during regular library hours. For further information or to schedule a tour, please contact Eric White, Curator of Special Collections, at 214-768-3440.