Probably the most widely published book in early modern England was Sternhold and Hopkins's Whole book of Psalmes, yet a critical edition has been wanting for many years. As the interest of scholars has increased, so too has the need for a scholarly edition. Beth Quitslund and Nicholas Temperley have combined their expertise perfectly in this two-volume publication, which will prove indispensable for many years.

Volume i consists of a 1567 folio edition of the Whole book of Psalms, along with marginal notes and references to source editions and those with significant variations. The editors assert that the source edition was chosen due to the care given in the editing process of this ornate and luxury volume, because it provides the fullest collection of texts and tunes of any edition printed before the late 1570s, and also provides ‘the earliest surviving instance of John Day's final wording for the title page’ (vol. i, p. xxv–xxvi, quotation at p. xxvi).

The Whole book itself contains the texts and tunes most commonly printed in its editions, with modern spelling and musical notation used throughout, along with the prefatory tracts and hymns, and the hymns, prayers and creeds found at the end. And if reading the tunes and texts is not enough, a small sample of audio recordings and programme notes can be accessed free of charge through a website, the link to which is provided in the book.

Volume ii contains the critical apparatus necessary to fully understand the edition printed in volume i. It begins with a substantial historical essay, providing a detailed historical account of the development of the Whole book (and metrical psalmody more generally), its inclusion in the worship of English congregations and its place outside of the parish church. Following this are eight appendices, which contain information on all known predecessors; editions and companions to 1603; the 1549 Sternhold and Hopkins psalm texts; texts that were common to the Whole book but absent in the source edition; information on the tunes, musical revisions and books published with settings of the metrical psalms for four or more voices; references to the Whole book in churchwardens’ accounts for the period 1558–68; and notes on textual contents for each printing series.

At the outset of volume i the editors declare that their intention is to ‘set out and clarify the instability and evolution of the Whole book, in order to show how and what the book meant during the early modern period’ (‘How to use this edition’, vol. i, p. xxv). The editors provide us with a picture of the place of the Whole book in Elizabethan England, and of the singing of metrical psalms taking place, yet do not take this further and develop the meaning of the Whole book of Psalmes for English Protestants. The task of uncovering ‘what the book meant’ requires a much broader range of sources, and perhaps the space available in the present volumes does not permit this, but an attempt might have been made in the historical essay or in another section to draw on further sources or provide pointers for future scholarship.

The ‘historical essay’ provides an excellent overview of metrical psalmody throughout the sixteenth century and will prove a vital starting place for any student of the period or subject. That said, I would like to have seen a slightly longer section on the Whole book and metrical psalmody throughout the seventeenth century. The editors devote two sections to developments in metrical psalmody after 1603, but it would have been interesting and useful to have their thoughts on the Whole book and metrical Psalms during the Civil Wars and the Restoration, and the debates around metrical psalmody with the increased place of hymns in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. In addition, more could have been said about the work of other scholars; the majority of the what is said has been relegated to one paragraph. This field is increasing in size and scope and important work could have been commented on or discussed further.

On an editorial note, I wonder if some of the material which is placed in the appendices rather than in its relative place in editions should be reversed. I am thinking in particular about the musical prefaces, ‘Science of musick’ and ‘To the reader’, which were printed at the start of the Whole book yet are included here in the appendices. Was this decision taken because the ‘Science of musick’ was removed after 1577, as Quitslund asserts in her monograph The Reformation in rhyme, or is this an editorial decision? Presumably, if one wanted to uncover or present the Whole book ‘as it was used by sixteenth-century readers and singers’ then placing these in their usual place would make more sense, and would allows modern readers to understand or discover why these were placed where they were, and not as submatter, as has been done here, and thus clarifying the shape, form and, possibly, use of the Whole book in Elizabethan England.

These issues considered, the editors are to be praised for their work and for particular defining features. Historians researching the music of the early modern period have traditionally closed their ears and studied it as they would a textual source, forgetting that few contemporaries would have encountered it in this way. Music was to be heard and participated in, features of particular significance for the singing of metrical Psalms. The fact that users of this edition can listen to live recordings as they study the texts and tunes is vital, and the editors should be praised for the inclusion of music examples. This inclusion will, I hope, encourage other scholars to follow their example.

The notes on each Psalm are exceptionally thorough and provide an enormous amount of information on both the texts and tunes, their history and their use. Additionally, the inclusion of eight excellent appendices is another defining feature of these volumes. The appendices cover a wide range of issues and sources which will prove indispensable to many scholars. They provide information not only on the Whole book itself, but also on issues surrounding it: musical revisions; other music sources; and references to the Whole book in churchwardens’ accounts. This is an excellent resource.

These two volumes may not become as ubiquitous as the Whole book was in early modern England, but they provide scholars with no get-out clause for ignoring such a vital text any longer. Scholars working on early modern England must make space on their shelves, and in their bibliographies, and open their eyes and, more importantly, their ears to the Whole book and the centrality of metrical psalmody in England throughout the early modern period. Quitslund and Temperley, as with the rest of their work, have offered an enduring contribution to scholarship.