I have known and loved many of the hymns in this book all my life, and it was interesting to learn some of their background. Robert Morgan provides lyrics, sheet music, and nuggets of information about the writers, as well as the circumstances which led them to pen these well loved words. The book format lends itself to use as a devotional, as each page includes a scripture reference which either inspired the hymn, or is related to the words. There are sections devoted to Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. American patriotic hymns are also included, along with a selection of other favourites.
Although a number of the entries were excellent, I found some rather disappointing: the "background" story had little or nothing to do with the hymn itself, or seemed to be more related to American history than anything else. This was particularly noticeable in the patriotic section.
If you know little or nothing about the history of this type of music, and would like to learn a few details, I would recommend this book. If you are unfamiliar with the older hymns, this is an excellent way to learn the beautiful and inspirational lyrics, and the lovely tunes. If you are looking for more in depth history about the composers or their compositions, you will need to keep looking!
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review; the opinions I have expressed are my own.
