..sumptuous, very impressive indeed, aline piece of work...0 book to bin and use. NEW DIRECTIONS Although anthologies of prayer abound, this one stands out fin- being both a history of Christian faith as ;veil as a huge treasury of prayers. THE SIGN 1000 Years of Prayer oilers a vast tapestry of prayer, complex and richly woven, which depicts how men and women of all ages and all cultures have expressed (heir longing for God clown the centuries. Many ancient prayers - those which have shaped our basic understanding of who God is and what it means to be human - are included. Many more, by writers from Alcuin to R S Thomas, have made a lasting and profound contribution to world literature. Others are simple, childlike and heartfelt; these have arisen out of the joys and struggles of human life over the last two thousand years, and strike both personal and universal chords. Contemporary prayers attempt to embrace the challenges of today's world, while prayers from African, Asian, Native American and Celtic peoples remind us of the divine presence which permeates the whole of life. Here can be found the prayers of saints and slaves, poets and kings, mothers and lovers, soldiers and artists, those starting out on new ventures and those at the end of their lives. From the erudite to the humorous, from the poetic to the homespun, from the theological to the childlike, the prayers in this beautiful anthology will give us words with which to explore the fathomless mysteries of God.