I recently received a galley copy of a very interesting book, "Bead One, Pray Too" (Church Publishing Inc, March 2008, $28).

Written by Kimberly Winston, the book gives an overview of prayer beads from many of the world's religions and gives detailed instructions for making rosaries (Catholic and Anglican). She includes instructions on how to pray both rosaries, including many different prayers for each, and goes into great detail about the many different bead choices. The information on the significance of the different gemstones and a variety of types of wood is particularly nicely done, and even in the galley copy the photos are beautiful.

 Winston also wrote "Fabric of Faith: A Guide to the Prayer Quilt Ministry."  She received the 2005 American Academy of Religion Award for Best In-Depth Reporting on Religion. Her work has appeared in the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday and Newsweek.

When I first got this job, a friend of mine who's an Augustinian priest asked when we'd be doing a rosary project. I explain BeadStyle was non-denominational, but know I know what he'll be getting for Christmas!

One thing I should mention, while the detail given to making rosaries is extensive, other types of prayer beads aren't given the same level of instructions. I would suggest for some supplemental reading at Karen's Prayer Bead Web site.