Arndt and Eck cite Bender, who says “This first American Mennonite Hymnbook isnot to be confused with one of similar title printed by Saur at Germantown in 1753, called erroneously by Seidensticker and Flory a Mennonite hymnbook.” Each portion of this item has a separate title-page, with the second section's title-page reading Sammlung altre und neuer Geistreichen Gesänge. The woodcut frontispiece depicts David playing his harp.

•  Arndt & Eck 2419; Shoemaker 2239.   Contemporary calf rebacked some time ago, spine with gilt-stamped leather title and publication labels; rubbed, original clasps now lacking. Front fly-leaves with early inked and pencilled inscriptions. Final leaf (pp. 21/22 of the 22-page appendix of brief hymn texts, not of the main portion of the work) lacking. Edge nicks, chips, and tears, some extending into text; three leaves torn in half from outer margin, without loss of text; two leaves (one index) with lower outer corner torn away, with loss of a few words; last two leaves with outer edges ragged. Some upper corners bumped. Pages browned, with waterstaining to lower inner portions of about a third of the volume.  (25569)

Hymns here are chiefly in Chinook, but “[i]n this second edition a hymn has been added in each of the Skokomish, Nisqually, and Clallam languages, and also a medley in the four languages” (p. [3]). There are a total of 20 hymns, each given in English translation opposite the native language version. There is no music but the tune for each is specified.

Additionally present here are the Lord's Prayer (see our caption) and “A Blessing for Meals,” each in Chinook with interlinear English.

•  Newberry Library, Ayer Indians, Chinook 20; Pilling,Chinookan, p. 26; Evans 24; Banks p. 13.   Publisher's salmon-color printed wrappers. Fine copy.  (34846)

Provenance:  Many previous owners have inked or pencilled their ownership on the endpapers, sometimes several times, including “Sarah Reel,” “Christian Van Lasche” dated 18 December 1796, and “Samuel Van Lasche in the year of our Lord” dated both 1805 and 1806. The Lasche family were early immigrants to Germantown, Christian being a carpenter and pump-maker. Later gilt red leather label of 20th-century woman book collector Estelle Doheny (widow of oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny) on front pastedown.

•  ESTC W37375; Evans 23258.   18th-century calf, plain rounded spine with raised bands ruled in blind above and below, rubbed and corners bumped; moderate age-toning with waterstaining along most margins, variable spotting /soiling and stray ink marks. Otherwise, some creased leaves and torn-away corners including to title-page, one leaf with a long marginal tear taking (on the two sides) a few letters and one word, short marginal tears. Inked ownership indicia as above.  (37269)

•  Publisher's green printed paper–covered boards, rebacked with brown library cloth, spine with inked title and shelving label; paper rubbed and stained, front cover with early inked “1830" in upper outer portion. Back hinge (inside) reinforced. Pastedowns and preface institutionally rubber-stamped, second text page with rubber-stamped numeral in lower margin. Title-page lacking; pp. 9/10 (practice technique exercises) excised. Scattered pencilled marks of emphasis. Some corners bumped; one leaf with tear from outer margin, extending into music without loss. Battered but musically complete, and the instructional parts as interesting as the musical ones.  (29618)

Binding:  Contemporary black or very dark navy morocco, covers framed and panelled in gilt triple fillets with floral and fan-shaped corner decorations, surrounding a (blank) cartouche; spine with gilt-stamped title and arabesque decorations, board edges with gilt roll, gilt inner dentelles. All edges gilt.

•  Binding as above with a few small scuffs, back cover with areas of faint discoloration and light scrapes. Pages clean. Very giftable.  (29151)

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 4172; Goedeke, Grundriss zur Geschichte der deutschen Dichtung aus den Quellen, 572; Arndt, First Century of German Language Printing in the United States of America, 1337. Andachten: Shaw & Shoemaker 4360; Arndt 1338. Anhang: Shaw & Shoemaker 4171; Arndt 1334. Contemporary sheep, spine with later and sympathetic gilt-stamped title and author labels, binding with brass and leather clasps (intact); leather rubbed and some chipped away with joints open though holding, and spine leather showing some cracking. Front pastedown, free endpaper, and fly-leaf with early inked ownership inscriptions; back pastedown with later pencilled notation; front free endpaper separated and back free endpaper lacking. Pages age-toned and spotted (as usual in German imprints of this period); some corners dog-eared. One leaf with portion of outer margin torn away, with loss of a few words. Condition actually rather typical, for this sort of volume!  (18243)

Binding:  Contemporary black pebbled leather with beveled edges, covers with deeply impressed double windows and arch design surrounded by corner decorations of quatrefoils in rondels, spine with gilt-stamped title and blind-tooled fleurons between raised bands, board edges and turn-ins with gilt rolls. All edges gilt.

•  Binding as above, front joint and hinge refurbished, light wear to edges and extremities, small scuff to lower edge of front cover. One preliminary leaf with pencilled source notation in inner margin, dated [19]37, and with rubber-stamped numeral in lower margin; first text page with institutional rubber-stamp in lower margin. Back free endpaper with traces of paper adhering to upper portion. Pages clean.  (40628)

•  Evans 23823; ESTC W21016; Arndt & Eck 805.   Contemporary mottled sheep, covers framed in blind, with remnants of original clasp, spine with later gilt-stamped leather title and publication labels; leather mildly rubbed, spine leather with small cracks, spine and joints unobtrusively repaired. Front free endpaper with pencilled ownership inscription dated 1835; afterwards, ex–theological library: Old-fashioned bookplate on front pastedown, title-page pressure-stamped, pocket on back pastedown. Pagination erratic; several pages appearing out of order. A few corners bumped or dog-eared; a good many sections moderately browned and stained as is commonly seen with these Germantown imprints.  (27905)

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 30511; Richmond 1416.   Full original calf, plain style, rubbed overall with small chips on front cover; chip at head of spine, front joint starting. Paper browned, and some stains; a bit of blue crayon doodling in blank area of top left corner of p. 50. Early leaves with stitch holes in inner margin, not touching text; three leaves with tears, not affecting text. Ex–theological library with area of spine blacked out where call number once was; library name and five-digit number rubber-stamped on front pastedown, accession number inked and rubber-stamped at base of p. [iii]. (21139)