Examining the influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature, this study explores the imaginative, beautiful and ingenious as well as sometimes ludicrous and improbable ways in which the Psalms were 'translated'. Spanning ancient Israel to Renaissance and Reformation England, the book focuses on literature of major writers that ranges from Shakespeare and Milton to less prominent ones: George Gascoigne, Mary Sidney Herbert, and George Wither. "Translations have often proved resistant to close reading, which is why Hamlin's achievment in Part Two of the book is particularly impressive... Hamlin is attempting something more literary than any previous commentator, and he succeeds beautifully in showing that translations can be very original indeed." The Times Literary Supplement "Psalm Culture and Early Modern English Literature is clearly and lucidly written." Renaissance Quarterly "This solid and intelligent study will retain its value and inspire further work." Modern Philolohy "well researched and readable" Early Modern Literary Studies "along with the careful treatment of the translational idiosyncrasies by a wide breadth of authors ranging in renown and gender, Hamlin's monograph does an admirable job of treating both the larger contextual and historical picture as well as the specifics of individual metrical psalm works." - Sara Choi, Boston College This book examines the powerful influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature. Hannibal Hamlin is Assistant Professor of English at Ohio State University, Mansfield.