Sally Magnusson
ISBN 0826474179 (9780826474179)
Continuum, 2004
£9.99

Category: Biography

There's just one word for this book: magnificent. When I first saw it, I confess to being sceptical - how could anyone write a book about hymns? Hymns are for singing, not studying, surely. I was mistaken — hymns certainly are for singing, but there's much more to them that as they explore and expand our spirituality, taking us into the realm of "Glorious Things".

For each of the 35 hymns Sally Magnusson has chosen she provides the complete words, author's name and date (where known), names a tune and offers a reflection. The reflections are personal and give the whole book a semi-autobiographical feel, describing when and how she encountered the hymn and examining its impact upon her life. But she also picks up the threads of each hymn's history and themes, weaving these in with her own experience to bring the whole to life.

Sally is well known, of course, as a presenter on the BBC's Songs of Praise, making this an ideal gift for any fans of the programme. If that's the sort of book you're looking for, look no further.

Also available in paperback: Amazon | Eden.co.uk

Phil Groom, November 2004

Phil Groom is this site's Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He's a freelance blogger, writer and web developer who spent ten years managing the bookshop at London School of Theology alongside eight years writing web reviews for Christian Marketplace magazine before he came to his senses and went independent. You can find him on facebook or follow him on twitter @notbovvered.

From a review previously published in Christian Marketplace Magazine, reused here by kind permission.
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