Building on the foundations laid by the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, the bishops of England and Wales were resolved to ensure that the members of their dioceses were properly instructed about the teaching of the Church and the basic principles of the Christian faith. From the 1220s a series of provincial councils and diocesan synods enacted canons to ensure that sound teaching was provided for the faithful, who were encouraged to frequent the sacraments at appropriate intervals. From the beginning of the thirteenth century, graduates from the nascent universities of Paris and Oxford showed themselves to be conscientious pastors, beginning with Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury (1206–29). Some prelates, Edmund of Abingdon, Richard Wych and Thomas of Cantilupe, were canonised by the pope, while others such as Roger Niger, Robert Grosseteste and Walter Cantilupe were renowned for their integrity and holiness of life. The measures taken by prelates and implemented by parish priests form the basis of this attractive monograph by Andrew Reeves, whose text is divided into six chapters that span the theological and historical background, preaching by the parochial clergy, canons regular and the mendicants, the vernacular religious literature and liturgy, art and architecture. For example, the fifth chapter focuses on the vernacular literature available to the parochial clergy and their parishioners. Episcopal concern that the laity received instruction in their lingua materna was expressed in Robert Grosseteste's Templum dei (c.X, no.3). Enterprising artists such as William de Brailes of Oxford produced illuminated Bibles, psalters and books of hours for wealthy members of the laity in the middle of the thirteenth century. The de Brailles Hours (BL, ms Add. 49999), the earliest surviving English Book of Hours, were probably created for an unnamed laywoman. Preachers like Thomas Hales compiled sermons in Anglo-Norman and penned saints’ Lives in Middle English. Sermons and devotional texts were translated into Anglo-Norman or Middle English. Poetry was a further medium used to articulate religious devotion. For example, Trinity College, Cambridge, ms 323, was compiled in the middle of the thirteenth century. It is a collection of religious poetry in Latin, Anglo-Norman and English. One poem narrates the Incarnation, passion and resurrection and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Manuel des pechez, attributed to William of Waddington who was associated with Walter de Gray, archbishop of York (1215–55), treats the twelve articles of faith, the seven deadly sins, the seven sacraments, the ten commandments and the sacrament of confession. The conviction that each of the Apostles contributed an article of faith for the Creed had gained a foothold in the schools and new universities. One version couples the prophets with the twelve disciples in this act of compilation. There are some typographical errors on pp. 52 (for example, ‘which give divide the articles’), 61, 80, 95, 124, 160 and 176. This is a pleasing monograph that teems with valuable information about the Church's pastoral strategy and its desire to communicate a wholesome message to parishioners throughout the country. It will be useful for anyone who wishes to know more about pastoral aids that proliferated in the thirteenth century.