Sacred Harp Editions

Identifying Sacred Harp Editions

The easiest way to distinguish among nineteenth- and twentieth-century editions of The Sacred Harp is to examine the books’ front covers or title pages for the mention of appendices or edition numbers, the names of the lead revisers, and any dates. If the cover and title page of your Sacred Harp is missing or illegible, try the “Page 37 Test,” an easy way to distinguish among seven different editions of The Sacred Harp.

Edition Appendices/Edition Names or Numbers Names Dates
First Edition none B. F. White, E. J. King 1844, 1847
Second Edition “To Which Is Added an Appendix” B. F. White, E. J. King 1850, 1857
Third Edition “To Which Is Added Appendix I … Also, Appendix II.” B. F. White, E. J. King 1860
Fourth Edition “Fourth Edition, Much Improved and Greatly Enlarged” B. F. White, E. J. King, J. L. White, C. P. Byrd 1869, 1870, 1897
“Cooper Book” Editions various numbered editions B. F. White, E. J. King, W. M. Cooper, R. D. Blackshear, B. P. Poyner, Saxon P. Poyner, B. F. Faust 1902, 1907, 1909, 1927, 1949, 1950, 1960, 1992, 2000, 2006, 2012
“White Book” Editions “Fifth Edition, Much Improved and Greatly Enlarged” or “Fourth Edition, with Supplement” B. F. White, E. J. King, J. L. White 1909, 1910, 1911, 2007
“James Book” Editions “Revised, Corrected and Enlarged” and “Standard Melodies” J. S. James 1911, 1921, 1929
“Denson Book” and 1991 Editions “(Denson Revision),” “1991 Edition,” or “1991 Revision” T. J. Denson, S. M. Denson, Paine Denson, Otis L. McCoy, L. P. Odom, B. F. White, J. S. James 1936, 1960, 1966, 1971, 1987, 1991

Please contact me with any corrections or suggestions on how to improve this table.

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