Of all the questions winging their way to me as a result of this column, the most frequent is: 'Where can I find out more about these hymns?'
It depends on which hymns you mean, which book you use, what kind of information you're after. But here are some sources I have found helpful, in five groups.
Group 1 comprises two items, one of which isn't a book at all. John Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology is the Britannica of hymns and hymnwriters, appearing in 1892; second edition with New Supplement, 1907. Many contributors were authors in their own right. Most were clergy; among those who were not is Catherine Winkworth. Look in secondhand lists; I paid £25 some years ago and would double that now. An inexhaustible gold mine. One snag; you may want to know about hymns written since 1907.
