Barlow's Revision (1785)

"Barlow was invited by 'the General Association of Connecticut to revise Dr. Isaac Watts's version of the Psalms in order to remove the allusions to Great Britain and the kind and so to make them more adaptable to singing in the United States.'"--BAL 860.

Barlow's revision was first published at Hartford in 1785, with the following title:

Doctor Watts's imitation of the Psalms of David / corrected and enlarged by Joel Barlow ; to which is added a collection of hymns ; the whole applied to the state of the Christian Church in general.

(NOTE: The following list is an approximation of the varied printing/publication history of Doctor Watts's imitation of the Psalms of David‚and in no way should be considered complete. Additionally, the terms "edition," "printing," and "issue" have not been used consistently in various bibliographies. Therefore, the usage of such terms has little bearing on the organization of this list.)

(Beinecke copies are noted in red.)

(1) The Connecticut Group of Editions (included in this listing are several editions published in Glasgow and New York)

(2) Distinctively Presbyterian editions (Za B249 787Q__)

"In the year of Barlow's revision first appeared, at the sessions of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia the question of collating the existing psalm versions with a view to 'compose for us a version more suitable to our circumstances and taste than any we yet have,' was referred to a committee ‚ This action created a demand ‚ for new issues of Barlow's Watts. Beginning, therefore, in the year of Synod's allowance [1787], and continuing well toward the middle of the nineteenth century, [there are] a special group of distinctively Presbyterian editions. They are characterized by three features:

1) The omission of the hymns originally appended to the psalm-versions.
2) The adoption of a distinctive title for the book, from which the names of Dr. Watts and of Mr. Barlow alike disappear. The version is introduced in Presbyterian churches as:

Psalms carefully suited to the Christian worship in the United States of America : being an improvement of the old versions of the Psalms of David.

3) The setting forth upon the title page of the authorization of the book. This was originally, and often thereafter, supplemented by a certificate."

--Benson, pp. 26-27.

Philadelphia : Printed for Robert Campbell, 1799.
ESTC (RLIN) W5101
Evans 35191


(3) Editions appearing as "Psalms carefully suited," etc., but not as distinctively Presbyterian

NOTE: FOR PURPOSES OF ASSIGNING YCAL CALL NUMBERS, THESE EDITIONS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE "DISTINCTIVELY PRESBYTERIAN EDITIONS" (Za B249 787Q__) BEGINNING IN 1787 AND HAVE NOT BEEN CLASSED SEPARATELY.

"Beginning at least 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 Synod's allowance and the certificate of its stated clerk. This was, perhaps, but a trade expedient, originally, to extend the circulation of a book proved to be popular."--Benson, p. 30.


(4) The "corrected" editions

NOTE: FOR PURPOSES OF ASSIGNING YCAL CALL NUMBERS, THESE EDITIONS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED SEPARATE CALL NUMBERS.

"A final series of editions of Barlow's revisions ‚ begin as early as 1812, and consist in each case of the Psalms and Hymns bound together in one volume, each with its own title, and each described thereon as 'corrected.'"--Benson, p. 32.

With title: Psalms carefully suited, &c. : a new edition, corrected.


This listing was compiled with the help of the following sources:

Benson, Louis F. "The American revision of Watts's 'Psalms'" in Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, vol. II (1903-1904), pp. 18-34, 75-89.

Blanck, Jacob. Bibliography of American Literature.

Evans, Charles. American bibliography: a chronological dictionary of all books, pamphlets, and periodical publications printed in the United States of America from the genesis of printing in 1639 down to and including the year 1820.

RLIN

ESTC (RLIN)

Trumbull, J. Hammond (James Hammond). List of books printed in Connecticut, 1709-1800.

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Last revised: 21 February, 2008 4:29 PM