There are a lot of options for biographical information on Charles Wesley. These are the best in my opinion.
Primary Sources
MS Journals
Hands down, without a doubt, the best and most complete version of Charles Wesley’s Manuscript Journal is the edition by Kimbrough and Newport. Previous editions of Charles Wesley’s published journal materials were incomplete and leave out critical information and entries.
This edition is, in my opinion, a must read for any student of Charles Wesley’s life and ministry. It is available in a two volumes. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are both available from Amazon.
The Sermons
The sermons of Charles Wesley have been published in a few different editions. The most complete and valuable is the critical edition by Kenneth Newport.
While some may not consider the sermons to be biographical in nature, these primary sources still contribute much to the life and ministry of Charles Wesley. Newport includes excellent secondary information but the sermon registry itself, when compared to the MS Journal and Letters, provides essential biographical information and context.
The critical edition by Kenneth Newport is available from Amazon.
The Letters
Two resources are of note for the letters of Charles Wesley.
The more affordable collection is from Kingswood Books edited by Frank Baker. It is available from Amazon.
The more complete collection is not yet complete.
The first volume is available from Newport and Lloyd published by Oxford University Press.
Volume 1 is available on Amazon. Volume 2 is forthcoming.
Secondary Sources
Charles Wesley: A Reader
Charles Wesley: A Reader is an excellent book published by Oxford and edited by John Tyson weaves together information from the primary sources.
It gives a coherent and helpful synthesis of the materials with other historical background. It is a truly wonderful resource on the life of Charles Wesley.
If someone was going to only purchase one book on Charles Wesley, this is the one I’d suggest.
Assist Me To Proclaim
Another helpful biography by John Tyson is his Assist Me To Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley.
This is the quickest read of all the resources listed here. If you are short and time and simply want a good primer, this would be a good place to start.
Charles’s Letters
The primary sources listed above aren’t the only option if you’re interested in the letters of Charles Wesley. Frank Baker has a good volume titled Charles Wesley: As Revealed by His Letters.
While this is not as complete as the primary source collections, it will give you a flavor of Charles’s letters at a fraction of the price.
Historical Overview
An excellent book on the history leading up to, during, and after the Great Awakening is Mark Noll’s The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys.
This resource sets the stage with a discussion of historical, political, and spiritual influences that played a part in the revival. It also weaves together many of the key figures and influences in a very readable way.
I really enjoyed this book and I think you will, too.
My Top Three
My Top Three Biography Resources in order are:
- The Manuscript Journal of the Reverend Charles Wesley, M.A. (Volume I and Volume II)
- Charles Wesley: A Reader
- The Sermons of Charles Wesley