"Entered, according to Act of Congress, in ... 1849, by Phineas Stowe ...."--t.p. verso

"Stereotyped by A.B. Kidder, 7 Cornhill"--t.p. verso. "By ... donation of Mr. A. B. Kidder, Music Printer, seamen and their friends are furnished with the 'Melodies'at ... reasonable price ...."--p. vi

Signatures : 1-[11] [last gathering unsigned] ; wove paper. Misprint of p. 163 as "63."

ca. 396 hymns, choruses, occasional ballads, doxologies, etc., ca. 63 with music in close score, 2 or 3 parts [short title as text and running header, group of temperance hymns at p. 148-155] (indicating title or name of tune, meter, occasional author or origin, composer or source, anecdote or situation)--p. [7]-175

Includes index : ... of first lines [shown in running header]--p. [iii]-vi

Collections or well-known authors drawn upon [passim] include : Winchell, Reed, Noel, Pratt, Rippon [Watts], Dwight, Taylor, Logan, Needham, Grant, Stennett, Beddome, Byrom, Grant, Griggs, Wesley, Swain, Doddridge, Cennick, Madan, Montgomery, Mason, Tans'ur. Others given in name references below

Special prefatory notes rendering anecdotal background or dedication for item, often of historical interest to greater Boston area--p. 46, 60, 63, 77, 136, 145 [x2], 146, 147, "63" [i.e. 163], 168, 169, 170, 172, 173 [x2], 174, 175

Items with extensive prefatory notes and titles : Affection's Tribute, to Lieutenant Henry Eld, Jr.--p. "63" [i.e. 163] ; Death and Burial of Rev. Adoniram Judson, D.D. at Sea--p. 174 ; Requiem on the death of a Mariner--p. 175

Dedication to "P. Stow, Pastor of Boston Bethel Society, by Wm. Lock Brown, late Musical Director at N.Y. University"--p. 46 ; Hymn sung at the Dedication of the First Baptist Mariner's Chapel, New York, by Mrs. C.H. Putnam. Tune, Sound the Loud Timbrel"--p.63

Burial Service at Sea [in 4 homiletic sections (the first with 7 cited scriptures), followed by directions for remarks and hymns selected from 7 pages]--p. 176

"The design ... twofold; - To counteract the debasing ... productions ... claims to poetry and music, and to furnish such as will interest the mariner and awaken the better feelings of his nature .... eject such pernicious trash from our vessels, and substitute ... remembrances of home ... to recognize God's power ...."--Preface [verso t.p.] (dated : Boston, Feb. 21, 1849)

"Hymns ... from books ... by the A. Seamen's Friend Society, 'The Psalmist,' edited by ... Baron Stow and ... S.F. Smith; published by Gould, Kendall, & Lincoln of Boston. Also from 'The Christian Melodist', compiled by ... Joseph Banvard ... issued by ... John Putnam ...." ; "Mr. Wm. B. Tappan, Rev. J.H. Clinch, and Rev. N. Colver ... enriched the 'Melodies' with their [work] .... [selections assisted by] Capt. T.V. Sullivan, the 'Marine Mission at Large,' of Boston .... G.A. Bennett ... preparing music .... J.H. Hanaford .... [arranged] the first edition of [this work] .... [now] entirely changed; more than treble the number of hymns and tunes ...."--pref. [ctd.]

"... 'Jack' and 'Tar,' so ... injuriously applied to sailors, with other common nautical expressions, are excluded from the Melodies; as they are [emphasis] very offensive [emphasis] to ... mariners ...." ; "Confident ... all evangelical denominations ... rejoice at ... Melodies; but especially those who have relatives and friends on the 'great wide sea.'"--pref. [ctd.]

T.p. with verse : "While mighty ocean / Rolled the wild, profound, eternal bass / In nature's anthem, and made music, / Such as pleased the ear of God."

Brown cloth covers [ribbed morocco-grain] : front and back with blind-stamped line border [2 thick, 3 thin interior], florid or ornate [pineapple?] corners, inner frame with ship on main in full-sail between words of short title in ornate serif capitals [Ocean / Melodies] -- in gilt on front

C.S. Nutter's inscriptions indicating authorship for individual hymns throughout

Inscription : "Hattie E. Cunningham. Ship Ocean Express"--inner front endpapers recto

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