A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists

By Rev. John Wesley, M.A.

Wesleyan Conference Office, London

With Supplement

Circa 1876

A particularly attractive Victorian edition of John Wesley’s important Methodist hymn collection, presented in an ornate period binding.

The volume features a richly decorated black leather binding with extensive gilt tooling to the boards and spine, raised bands, gilt page edges and substantial brass edging/furniture with hinged fore-edge clasp.

Internally it includes an engraved portrait of John Wesley with facsimile signature, followed by the title page for A Collection of Hymns, for the Use of the People Called Methodists, by Rev. John Wesley, sometime Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.

The title page identifies the publisher as the Wesleyan Conference Office, 2 Castle Street, City Road, London, with copies sold at 66 Paternoster Row. This title and imprint correspond to documented nineteenth-century editions of Wesley’s influential Methodist hymnal. The collection itself was first published in 1780 and became one of the foundational hymn books of Methodism.

Condition: Antique used condition with age-related wear. There is foxing/spotting and staining to the endpapers and some internal pages, together with age toning and general signs of handling. The binding shows rubbing and wear, particularly around the extremities and spine. Brass edging and hinged clasp/furniture remain present. Please study all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.

A handsome piece of Victorian Methodist history, particularly appealing for collectors of John Wesley, Methodism, antique religious books, decorative bindings and nineteenth-century hymnals.

Item specifics

Author: Rev. John Wesley

Title: A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists

Publisher: Wesleyan Conference Office

Place: London

Date: c.1876

Language: English

Binding: Leather / gilt decorated

Features: Engraved portrait, gilt edges, brass furniture/clasp, supplement

Subject: Methodism / Christianity / Hymns

Original/Facsimile: Original period publication