The Priest to the Altar

Simon Bailey’s copy - an Anglican priest who was among the earliest to develop AIDS and stay in parish ministry. Black roan, a large octavo binding, faded and rubbed to edges. Bailey’s bookplate appears on the first black flyleaf: ‘Simon Bailey Westcott Hl[ou]se Eastertide 1981.’ A well-used copy, particularly around the printed order for Holy Communion with text corrected for use during the reign of George VI in the 1940s and some pages with loss from repeated turning during services. A few notes of plainchant inserted around the ‘Proper Prefaces’. An excellent provenance for this work with a letter presenting the book from Simon Bailey’s executor. Simon Bailey (16 June 1955 – 27 November 1995) was an Anglican priest and writer who trained for the ministry at Westcott House in Cambridge and came to national attention when a television documentary was made of how he continued his work in the parish after telling his Bishop and parishioners he had AIDS - the first British priest to do so.