Foxe’s Book of Martyrs update or Original Print 1684

John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs has been called “The most important Christian work ever printed outside of the Bible itself.” It documents the martyrdom of all of history’s recorded saints from the original Apostles of the First Century, to the mid-16th Century Reformation. Perhaps most famous for its many graphic woodcut illustrations showing the gruesome methods of execution and torture used against those who gave their lives for the truth of God’s Word. In three tall leather volumes, nearly 3,000 pages, this is the only unabridged facsimile of Foxe’s Martyrs that has ever been made!

Also known by its formal name, “Foxe’s Acts and Monuments of the Christian Church,” this well-known book has strangely NEVER BEEN REPRINTED in anything near its full unabridged format… until now! The books you may have seen in Christian bookstores that claim to be “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” actually only contain FOUR PERCENT of the text that this computer-scan of the original contains. They touch on only the more “famous saints”… and typically offer few or none of the magnificent illustrations. The other 96% of the text, and all of the famous illustrations, are “edited out”. This edition is the ONLY one on the world market that offers more than that 4%… and it of course offers 100% of the original content.

Measuring an impressive 14 inches tall by 8.75 inches wide, and each of the three volumes is 2 to 2.5 inches thick; this set contains nearly a thousand tall pages per volume (nearly 3,000 total pages). The binding is hardcover burgundy bonded leather, with gold stamping on the spines. We selected the 1684 edition because that is the only edition containing the full text and all of the woodcut illustrations, which also used the easier-to-read Roman Style Type Face.

John Foxe is the most respected of all Christian historians. Foxe also contributed to the production of the original Geneva Bible along with John Knox, under the protection of John Calvin in Geneva Switzerland… fleeing the persecution of Catholic Queen “Bloody” Mary. Foxe’s level of scholarship and accuracy is without equal, and his woodcut illustrations make no use of censorship in their detail. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is the ultimate documentary of 1,500 years of man’s inhumanity to man… all in the name of God.

This most important of all Christian books has been essentially unavailable (except in ridiculously abridged form, or costly original form) for over three hundred years. We are proud to be the ones who made it available again to the world, and we cannot over-emphasize the importance of having this resource as part of the Christian’s home library. What ultimately happened to each of the twelve apostles… and those who defied the Caesars of Rome, and later defied the Popes of Rome? The Bible does not tell us… but this book does. This huge reference work is a “must-have” for anyone with an interest in church history.

While the genuine original printings of Foxe’s Martyrs are available in the Silver Room of our Ancient Rare Books & Bibles section; their price of around $25,000 or more is beyond the budget of many of our customers. The suggested retail price on this facsimile reproduction masterpiece is listed at $885 (which is $295 per volume). We are pleased to offer it for considerably less that that amount.