Hymns Ancient and Modern

In 1858, two clergymen were in conversation during a journey on the old Great Western Railway and concluded that the Church of England needed a corporate hymn book. Three years later the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern was published - not ordered into existence by a King anxious for control or a committee seeking uniformity but created in a spirit of collaboration by men and women who understood the power of hymnody and wanted to use it to improve congregational worship for everybody.

To celebrate 150 years of Hymns Ancient and Modern we have produced a high quality limited edition facsimile of the first edition, originally printed by Novello and Co. in 1861.

Only one hundred copies have been produced; each one is individually numbered and beautifully presented in a slipcase decorated with gold 'A&M' design. The hymnbook includes 273 hymns with their accompanying tunes, ordered around the seasons and celebrations of the church year. There is also a preface from the compilers, an index of first lines and an index of tunes.