God and Soul | Czech Catholic Prayer Book | Redemptorists | Prague 1930

Bůh a duše, or "God and the soul," is a Czech Catholic prayer and devotional book published in Prague in 1930. This twelfth edition was compiled by the Redemptorists and printed by the Cyrillo-Methodějská printing house of V. Kotrba.

The compact book contains 580 pages and forms an extensive handbook for Catholic religious life. In addition to daily prayers and devotions, it includes texts concerning the Holy Mass, litanies, prayers for the dying, and religious instructions. Parts of the Mass liturgy are printed side-by-side in Latin and Czech.

At the front are the original ecclesiastical approvals from November and December 1929, after which the book was published in Prague in 1930. This makes this copy a tangible religious document from the interwar period and the era of the First Czechoslovak Republic.

Bound in a dark textile hardcover with a gold-colored title on the spine, a religious ornament on the front cover, and gold-colored edges. The pages have the warm discoloration characteristic of a well-used book nearly a century old. The binding and interior show signs of use and age, but overall the item is in good used condition given its age.

Specifications

• Title: Bůh a duše
• Title meaning: God and the soul
• Subtitle: Misionární knížka
• Compilation: Redemptorists
• Edition: 12th edition
• Year: 1930
• Place of publication: Prague
• Printer: Cyrillo-Methodějská knihtiskárna V. Kotrba
• Publisher: Redemptorists
• Language: Czech, with Latin liturgical texts
• Contents: Catholic prayers, devotions, Mass texts, and religious instruction
• Pages: 580
• Period: Interwar period
• Binding: textile hardcover
• Finish: gold-colored print and gilt edges
• Height: approx. 14.5 cm
• Thickness: approx. 2.5 cm
• Condition: good used condition with signs of age and wear