English Hymns of the Eighteenth Century: An Anthology (American University Studies Series IV, English Language and Literature)

This anthology brings together for the first time the most popular and widely used English hymns from that genre's most formative and important period: the eighteenth century. This annotated collection of some 325 hymns (with author introductions and a general historical sketch) will be of inestimable value to scholars, students, and laypersons from several disciplines and interests; from social history to church history and theology, from political science to literature. Hymns were the most widely read and memorized verbal structures of the eighteenth century: this anthology, therefore, provides unique and higly significant insights into the culture and habits of thought of a people - and their spiritual leaders.