HYMNS as POETRY

I've been thinking about how, before musical notation was included in hymnals, hymnals were essentially books of sacred poetry, and I've wished for the same sort of hymnal to carry with me throughout the day to open and read in those quiet moments when the brain needs something to keep it on the right path.

Enter the digital age!

I am currently saving my pennies for a Sony Reader Digital Book into which I will be able to load hundreds of e-books and carry them around with me, all weighing less that a pound! And I realized that I will be able to load .txt, rtf, .doc, and .pdf versions of hymnals and thus have volumes of sacred poetry at my fingertips to help keep my mind upon the Strait and Narrow.

Besides established hymnals, I am also compiling some hymn collections on specific topics so that I can sit and read hymns just on those topics.

I am not knowingly breaking any copyright laws - if you see something that is copyrighted and I need to take down, please let me know.

Click on the file you would like and download and enjoy.

Book             Explanation
1835 LDS Kirtland Hymnal   This is the very first LDS hymnal. Complied by Emma Smith, it shows incredible taste and understanding on hymns to be used for general congregational use. Some texts are seriously dated to her time, but they are still good ones.
1840 LDS Manchester Hymnal   While Emma Smith was compiling a successor to the Kirtland Hymnal, church leaders in England compiled a hymnal for Latter-day Saints in that country, Parley P. Pratt acting as the main editor and compiler. It became the church's standard hymnal for several decades. Some texts are seriously dated, but they are still good ones.
1841 LDS Nauvoo Hymnal   Emma Smith's second hymnal, this one contained many more general Christian hymns and many more LDS-written texts. Some texts are seriously dated to her time, but they are still good ones. This is the only LDS hymnal to include that time-honored and proven 'Amazing Grace'.
1985 LDS Hymns   This is the current LDS hymnal minus those hymns that have copyright notices not allowing them to be freely copied.
Olney Hymnal   An old beloved favorite; written by two men who personally understood God's Love, Mercy, and Grace for His children.
 Isaac Watts   for hymns by Isaac Watts, go to: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13341
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13166
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13439
CCEL Hymn Page   TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER WEBSITE - listed are quite a few of the great hymnals - all waiting for you to download and enjoy.
     
     
TOPICAL HYMN COLLECTIONS
These are my personal favorites on the various topics represented. I have purposely not divided them by genre or by whether they were written for children or adults. I will even be including some of my own hymns as I enjoy reading them as well.
     
'Jesus' in the Title   There's a whole lot of hymns that have His name in their title that are enjoyable and inspirational to read in one collection.
Christmas   Where possible I am using the most-original version of each text.
Atonement   This covers hymns concerning Christ's agony in the Garden & on the Cross and His Atonement. Most of these are hymns to prepare for the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Resurrection/ Triumphal Reign   Here's my favorite Easter hymns!
Baptism   Baptism is the gateway into His kingdom, and here's some hymns to help celebrate that entrance.
Restoration  

A collection of hymns that celebrate the restoration of the Gospel as celebrated and proclaimed by Latter-day Saints. Some of these texts were written many years before the Restoration but still carry the theme.

Hymns /
Anthems /
Heritage & Folk
  This collection will contain all may favorites that don't fit into any of the other collections. It will include hymns & patriotic songs from my American heritage as well as old folk songs that make me feel as good as hymns do.
     
OTHER DOWNLOADABLE FILES FOR YOUR E-READER
     
Declaration of Independence & U.S. Constitution   These files are formatted from the U.S. Constitution page of this website and includes many of the explanatory footnotes I've written. It all began as a home-school aide and just kept growing. Please visit the website for extensive information - but here are some of the essentials.
Latter-day Saints & the Constitution  
Historical Speeches   This is a collection of mostly speeches given throughout the history of my country. Watch for this file to grow; I've just started it.
Faith, Grace, & Works   This is a book I wrote and have never been able to get published. It discusses Faith, Grace, and Works and how they work together and not separately to effect our salvation.
Narnia   a page with my 'Chronicles of Narnia'-inspired short stories and books ("Fan Fiction")
Pilgrim's Progress   For two-hundred years this was the most-poplar book in the English language besides the Bible, and it has never been out of print since its first publication in 1678. This is a copy of the original text and includes Bunyan's original footnotes. I have highlighted names and locations for easier reading.
Project Gutenberg   TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER WEBSITE - a huge collection of literature, all in .txt format.
Christian Classics Ehtereal Library   TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER WEBSITE - many classic Christian texts! A must for the e-reading Christian!
   LDS and World Classics   TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER WEBSITE - classic tests of interest to the Latter-day Saint e-reader

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