Ecclesiasticall History, Conteyning The Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, With a General Discoursee of Their Latter Persecutions... Foxes' Book Of Martyrs. [Third edition]

Ecclesiasticall History, Conteyning The Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, With a General Discoursee of Their Latter Persecutions... Foxes' Book Of Martyrs. [Third edition] Foxe, George. 1576. London: John Day. Folio.(8.5" x 12.5") (2029) pp. Rebound in full brown polished leather with fancy rule in blind to slightly lighter brown leather with inset at center with decoration in blind. Spine with five raised bands, heavy gilt lettering on red leather to second compartment, all others with large floral decoration in blind, gilt "3rd Edition, 1576" at foot. All edges lightly speckled red, refreshed endpapers and pastedowns. The first 10 leaves (including title page), pg 285/6, pg 1981/2, and pg 1983/4 in facsimile, evidently lacking last leaf, the index ending at letter Tt. Several pages with old paper repairs to fore-edges, others with closed tears and/or light chipping to pg edges. A couple of leafs with replaced paper in facsimile to their corners. Folding plate facing pg.260 with one third in facsimile. An absolutely beautiful book in its new dress, and except for the last couple of leaves of index at rear, complete with several facsimile pages.

John Foxe’s Acts and Monuments, commonly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, chronicles Christian persecution from the early Church through the English Reformation, with particular emphasis on Protestant martyrs executed during the reign of Mary I. It became one of the most influential Protestant books in early modern England, shaping English perceptions of Catholic persecution and Reformation history for generations. This 1576 John Day printing is the third English edition. It substantially follows the expanded 1570 edition but was printed in a more compact format, apparently intended to make the enormous work more affordable and accessible. Bibliographic sources confirm the 1576 issue as the third edition