The Bay Psalm book : being a facsimile reprint ...:
'via Blog this'
Please allow The Bay Psalm book on exhibit without feeling the necessity to read all of it.
My fiancee, whom I now live with, is a librarian at a church on Tremont Street, and apparently Old South, on Boylston Street, (which is a pretty church) just parted with its copy of this book, the first book printed in the United States. It is from 1640 and it is actually difficult to find graves dating back that far in the Boston churchyards. King's Chapel dates from 1685,- we have one of their coffee mugs that bears the date.
The book's importance is Puritanism- anything written by them that was new and not a direct quote from the Bible is even more fascinating when it is not the "word of God", although it was monarchy orientated and or post-Lutheren, it was "stuff they really just made up", like what to do on Sundays after leaving Europe.
It's importance to us is that she prays alone whenever needed; and consequently attends church because its something she likes, whether the church is empty or not. If I'm invited, I'm agnostic, as a poet, but it is her "freedom", not freedom confronted by tyranny, but just undiluted self-expression.
The above link is to The Bay Psalm book; keep it, as much or as little.
