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Acts and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happening in the Church, with an universall Historie of the same. Wherein is set forth at large, the whole Race and Course of the Church, from the Primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great Persecutions against the true Martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland…
Summary
A complete set of Foxe’s famous Acts and Monuments also knows as the Book of Martyrs. The work documents the martyrdom of all of history’s recorded saints from the first century through the Reformation period with abundant and gruesome illustrations. This eighth edition is the second issued in three volumes and the last to be printed in black letter, with a portrait of John Foxe and a biography written by his son Simeon.
Description
Vol. 1: half-title followed by full-page portrait of Foxe and full-page engraved title; Kalendar (6 pp.); Ad Dominum (3 pp.); Epistle Dedicatory (3 pp.); Ad Doctum Lectorem (3 pp.); To the True and Faithful Congregation (8 pp.); The Utility of the Story (3 pp.); To All the Professed Friends (5 pp.); Four Considerations (2 pp.); In Martyrologium Joan Foxi (3 pp.); A Table of Tables (12 pp.); A Chronologies (76 pp.); Acts and Monuments (1024 pp.); Vol. 2: The Life of John Fox (24 pp.); Ad Lectorem (2 pp.); Johannis Foxii Vita (14 pp.); These Ensuing Matters (22 pp.); Acts and Monuments (792 pp.); Vol. 3: Acts and Monuments (1030 pp.); A Continuation of the Histories of Forreine Martyrs (1080 pp.) with title page (1641); A Table of All Principal Persons (94 pp.).
Vol. 1 contains 36 woodcuts with the engraved title page (1641), a full-page portrait of Foxe (often lacking), a large fold-out plate of Persecution of Christians in the first 300 years (inserted after D4), and a full-page plate of The Poisoning of King John (inserted after Ee4). Vol. 2 contains 41 woodcuts with the engraved title page and the fold-out of Windsor Castle. Vol. 3 contains 77 woodcuts with the engraved title page, a fold-out of The Burning of Ridley and Latimer (inserted after 2U1) and a full-page plate of How Bucer’s & Phagius Bones wer Put into Two New Coffins (after 3S4).
Collation
[par]^4, [par][par]^8, [par][par][par]^8, (a)^6, (A)-(H)^4, (I)^6, A-Z^6, 2A-2Z^6, 3A-3Z^6, 4A-4P^6, 4Q^8 (Vol. 1); A^8 (-A1, Foxe’s Portrait), B^6, A-B^4, *^4, **^4, ***^4, A-I^6, K^8, L-Z^6, 2A-2Z^6, 3A-3T^6, 3U^4 (Vol. 2); A-Z^6, 2A-2Z^6, 3A-3Z^6, 4A-4P^6, 4Q^8, A-O^4, P^6, 4R-4Z^4, 5A-5E^4 (Vol. 3). Lacks final blank leaf in vols 2 and 3, otherwise complete.
Binding
Brown paneled calf, later rebacked and recornered, retaining contemporary covers with double-blind rules. Spines with six gilt-lined raised bands, blind tooling to compartments, and and the words “Foxe’s Booke of Martyrs” and “1641” lettered in gilt . All edges speckled red. Plain endpapers. Rubbed to edges.
Condition
Pages are quite crisp and clean throughout the set with wide margins. Very light marginal staining to upper edges of first and third volume; Each volume with the small bookplate of “Frederick J.O. Montagu” to front pastedown. Vol. 2: Mmm1 with small marginal loss; Qqqq2 closed tear without loss; Vol. 3: 4M2 closed tear without loss; minor marginal worming towards the end of the third volume.
Note
Foxe’s Acts and Monuments was first published in 1563 and grew quickly in both size and fame. Second in popularity only to the Bible, copies were ordered to be placed in every cathedral church alongside the Bishops’ Bible. The enormous set was the largest printing project undertaken in England at that time. Burrow described it as “the greatest single influence on English Protestant thinking of the late Tudor and early Stuart period.” A near fine copy of a scarce and collectible work whose influence is difficult to overstate.
References
Wing F2035; ESTC R29862; USTC 3058391. Burrow, John (2008). A History of Histories.