Watts, I. Psalms carefully suited to The Christian Worship in the United States of America. Being an Improvement of the old Version of the Psalms of David. Philadelphia: Printed for W. W. Woodward, No. 52, South Second Street, corner of Chestnut, Philadelphia. W. Hill Woodward, printer, 1818. [11305]
Full brown sheep, joints cracked and weak, red leather title label, edge-worn with a streak of blue ink to front, 5 x 3 inches. [2] adverts, [2 title leaf], [i-iv table[, [5]-368, [viii index]; [1]-274, [vi] table. Text us complete and in good condition, light to medium foxing. Fair. Hardcover.
The title page for the second part is Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in three books. 1. Collected from the Scriptures, 2. Composed on Divine Subjects, 3. Prepared for the Lord's Supper. Same imprint as above but with date 1819.
"Psalms carefully suited" was originally an edition of Watts endorsed by the Presbyterian Church and contained a statement from the Synod and "Presbyterian Church" on the title page. This issue, and others similar, are discussed on p. 13 of Benson, The American revisions of Watts's Psalms.
"Beginning as early as 1793, and running parallel with the avowedly Presbyterian issues and beyond them, was a series of editions which adopted the distinctive "Psalms carefully suited," etc., of the Presbyterian title page and differing from them merely by the omission both of Synods allowance and the certificate of the stated clerk. This was, perhaps, but a trade expedient, originally, to extend the circulation of a book proved to be popular. The omission of the Synodical allowance would not affect the use of these editions within the Presbyterian Church, and encouraged their use out of is bounds."
Both the Psalms and the Hymns are words only, no music.
With a signed provenance card from the music collection of A. Merril Smoak, Jr., DWS.
