A Presbyterian Bibliography

Librarians, historians, researchers, students, and others interested in examining the literary production of Southern Presbyterian ministers and works written about them will find A Presbyterian Bibliography invaluable. A 4,187-entry listing of extant published writings of ministers ordained by or received into the Presbyterian Church in the United States in its first hundred years, 1861-1961, this bibliography lists works by and about PCUS ministers and gives locations of all editions found in eight significant theological collections in the U.S.A. Presbyterian seminary libraries are those of Austin, Columbia, Louisville, Princeton, Reformed, and Union (Virginia); included also are the libraries of the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches and the Presbyterian Historical Society. An examination of this listing of published (i.e., printed) books, parts of books, pamphlets, and periodical article repreints shows that PCUS ministers became authors, editors, translators, poets, dramatists, composers, and essayists who wrote sermons, polemics, commentaries, Bible studies, theologies, histories, and letters to Presidents. Content notes and annotations for many books indicate individual minister contributions. A subject index, and indexes leading to every listing of a minister's name and to the main entries of the other presons gives access to the Bibliography.

This bibliography will facilitate research in the history of American Presbyterianism in particular and American history in general. Among the major areas covered are: autobiographies and biographies; Presbyterian denominations; states; institutions of learning, including academies, colleges, universities, and theological seminaries; institutionalized forms of church work, i.e., home and foreign missions, publications, Christian education; urban work; polity; and ecumenism. There are also considerable references to minorities. A thorough topical index to the entries gives easy access to all of these areas of study.

"There are 1,366 collections described in this guide. Collections range in size from a single letter or document to over fifty record storage cartons of material. Guide entries in Part I are arranged by 'record group' number, from 300 to 1307 (the first 299 numbers have been assigned to other collections housed by the Department of History). Guide entries in Part II are arranged alphabetically and numbered from B001 to B358. ... The index located at the back of the Guide is really the key to the whole work. The index lists all collections in both Parts I and II" -- Introd.