Lutheran Hymnal - 1811 & 1812
GRAFLY FAMILY COPY OF THIS GERMANTOWN PRINTING OF A LUTHERAN HYMNAL AND DEVOTIONAL WORK
(Luthern Hymnal) ERBAULICHE LIEDER-SAMMLUNG: ZUM GOTTESDIENSTLICHEN GEBRAUCH IN DEN VEREINIGTEN EVANGELISCH-LUTHERISCHEN GEMEINEN IN PENNSYLVANIEN UND DEN BENACHBARTEN STAATEN/ GESAMMLET, EINGERICHTET UND ZUM DRUCK BEFORDERT DURCH DAS HIESIGE DEUTSCHE EVANGELISCH-LUTHERISCHE MINISTERIUM. VIERTE AUFLAGE. Bound with )Prayer book and devotional). KURZE ANDACHTEN EINER GOTTSUCHENDEN SEELE, AUF ALLE TAGE DER WOCHE UND ANDERE UMSTANDE EINGERICHTET. FUNFTE AUFLAGE. Germantaun: Gedruckt bey Michael Billmeyer, 1811 & 1812.
Together two volumes in one. 175 x 100 mm., [7 x 4 inches]. Portrait, 607, [10] pp, register; and 26 pp.
Fourth and fifth editions respectively, these two works, though published separately are often found together. The hymnal is a collection of songs for worship in the United Evangelical Lutheran congregations in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. It includes 718 hymns and each song includes numerous verses and a note suggesting which melody is sung to. The devotional work reflects on the life of Christ and the divinity of God and is organized by days of the week and liturgical celebrations.
The printer is Michael Billmeyer, was part of a family of Philadelphia printers (brothers Andrew and George) and moved to Germantown in 1784 and succeeded the Saur family when members of the family died or moved their print shops to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Billmeyer spent his entire career in Germantown and died in 1838.
The woodcut portrait of Martin Luther is signed by “F. Reichie” a Philadelphia woodcutter whose “folky renditions were especially popular among publishers of almanacs, ABC books and other books. He apparently worked in Philadelphia, but his engravings were used by printers from Germantown, Ephrata, and Lancaster in Pennsylvania to Baltimore and Hagerstown in Maryland. Publishers used his cuts as late as 1830 and perhaps even later” (Earnest).
This copy includes a genealogy of the Grafly family. The earliest inscription appears on the verso of the blank at the end of the book and it records the birth of “Wm. Grafly born/February 4th, 1795. On the recto of the leaf the following manuscript notes appear: “June 25th 1808/Charles Grafly: September 13th 1820/Margaret Grafly: October 7th 1822/Jacob Grafly: June 21th 1825/John Grafly."
Shaw & Shoemaker, 22785, 25625. German Language Printing in the United States of America, 1810. Earnest, Flying Leaves and One-Sheets, pp. 252-54. Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators, p. 200., no. 1175.
Bound in contemporary mottled calf, leather and metal clasps; textblock is foxed throughout but the paper stock is in good condition. Ownership marks of the Grafly family, see below for details. Sound and attractive copy.