Papers from Hillsdale College
REL 319 -- Eighteenth Century Theology:
Jonathan Edwards and American Puritanism
Increase Mather: An Annotated Bibliography
by Andrew Mitchell
Hall, Michael. The Last American Puritan. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1988.
A very substantial, informative biography of Increase Mather. It attempts to cover all aspects of his life: politics, religion, writing, etc.
Lowance, Mason Jr. Increase Mather. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1974.
This work tends to focus exclusively on the writings of Mather and their effect on the populace. A very good work of literary criticism, albeit a very poor biography.
Middlekauff, Robert. The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971.
A concise summary of Increase's life and ministry, Middlekauff also attempts to compare and contrast Richard, Increase, and Cotton while placing them in their own historical context. A very effective presentation in fewer pages than an authoritative biography.
Murdock, Kenneth. Increase Mather, the Foremost American Puritan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926.
The earliest individual biography on Mather which our library owns, Murdock attempts to objectively portray Mather as the leader of his day and age. He fails to leave his bias out of his work, however, and relishes classifying the Puritan preacher as a pillar of liberal thinking.
Walker, Williston. Ten New England Leaders. New York: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1901.
A fine attempt to condense the broad talents and skills of Increase Mather into a brief span of pages. Walker hails Mather as the archetype of American Puritans, and praises his work as a foundation for modern New England.
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Last updated: 13 March 1998