THE Dean of King’s, Cambridge, Stephen Cherry, noticed a gap between the psalms at evensong, with their “unguarded and undefended expressions and sentiments”, and the prayers after the anthem, which were on occasion “safe and predictable”. He wrote, for every psalm, a new prayer that, he hoped, would have some of that “ancient authenticity”, and these have been used in chapel. They are included in an introduction to each of the 150 psalms in Psalm Prayers: A prayer companion for worship and devotion (Canterbury Press, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-1-78622-237-4), a very practical aid to evensongers and others in praying the Office “with understanding”. GP