By George M. Ella
Go Publications. 800 pages. £24.95
ISBN 0 9257 074 5 4
In spite of 'Rock of Ages', Toplady needs friends. In George Ella, established as Cowper's finest interpreter, he has found more than friendship. Here is a champion, heavyweight at that.
'There is no good biography of Toplady', he says, quoting Bishop Ryle approvingly. That may still be the case. This one is compelling, even essential to further studies; but we must brace ourselves for full-scale hero-worship. It was originally planned as two volumes, and shows some repetition in part two. The 'life', with many digressions, closes on page 340 with the words 'Fie! Fie!' Part two, with a separate introduction, is a Gospel Magazine anthology, including sermons, hymns, diaries and letters.
