Your copy is a “selections” version, with 32 hymns as you stated, and was bound in paper wraps. I believe this version was published after 1909, since the Deseret Book Company didn’t exist in that name until 1920. The original 1909 version contained 295 hymns, and is found in either cloth or black leather. I have complete copies of both if anyone has any questions. Thanks!

Forgive me, guys (and gals), it’s been a busy past 2 months in the life of Heidi

Hi, Heidi!

First, check out hymns 62 and 63. Whoever did the copying immortalized his/her fingers. Once they got to 69, they realized the error and repeated 62-69 with undamaged versions.

Hymn 22 is Flag of the Free, set to Wagner’s Wedding March from Lohengrin. But later, the Pilgrim’s chorus is not from Wagner’s Tannhauser, but from Verdi’s I Lombardi.

Of the 295 hymns, 106 are basically unchanged in our current book. An additional five are in the current primary book.

Two hymns appear both with the music we are familiar with, and with other music: O My Father, 83 and 181 (set to Haydn’s Austrian Hymn, which in our book accompanies Glorious Things… which appears here with a different melody, 119); and Earth with her Ten Thousand Flowers, 75 and 90.

Twelve additional texts in our current book (90, 119, 135, 155, 181, 191, 223, 233, 252, 254, 283, and 292) appear here with different music. In an interesting quirk, the music to 155 appears in hymn 160 in our book while the text is on the facing page (162).

The melody for There is a green hill (252) is better known as “Drink to me only with thine eyes.” The melody for I stand all amazed (254) is the same, but has been moved to the tenor range.

Come Thou Fount also appears (216) with a non-familiar melody. Another hymn unjustly excluded from the 1985 book, Take Courage Saints, appears here (280), not with the beautiful Frank Asper tune (composed after 1909, after all) but set to one of Mendelssohn’s most celebrated Song without words — “Consolation”, Op. 30, #3.

Check out the crazy round on p. 235, as well as the better known Frere Jacques on 109 (Hark the pretty birds are singing). There are a lot of funny nature songs, celebrating Arbor Day, the seasons, etc.

Two other jubilee songs you didn’t mention are found on 171 and 267.

Hymn 237 seems to be almost in the style of Anglican Chant.

Finally, for the most sentimental of them all, check out 184, “Oh, I had such a Pretty Dream, Mamma.”