[Weston, Henry G.]. The Baptist Hymn Book. Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1871. [8936]
Full black leather with gilt decorations on all three panels, spine ends chipped with loss, edges worn, corners worn through, 5 x 3 1/2 inches, yellow end papers. Ffep reads "Maria C. Wood. From her husband, Birthday, Aug. 15, 1884. Scottsville, Va." Insect damage to margins of the title and first several leaves. 616 generally clean pp., counted and complete. Rear end paper hinge open. Good. Hardcover.
Printed sometime after 1873, as the imprint was The Bible and Publication Society from 1871 to that year. Words only, no music.
"The Bible and Publication Society published The Baptist Hymn Book. The texts were selected by Henry G. Weston (1820-1909), first president of Crozer Theological Seminary. Weston's experience as a missionary in Illinois and as a pastor in Peoria and in New York City gave him a broad perspective on the varied uses of hymns in Baptist worship...It contains exactly one thousand hymns, plus twenty-one doxologies (the first and last texts in the hymn section are also doxologies). The Preface avers that 'Hymns which express those emotions which are the fruits of the Spirit have been specially sought, and those which utter mere natural feelings or human sentimentalism have been, as far as possible, rejected.'" - Music & Richardson, "I Will Sing the Wondrous Story", pp. 367-368.
With a signed provenance card from the collection of A. Merril Smoak, Jr., DWS.