Actes and monuments of these latter and perillous dayes, touching matters of the Church, wherein ar comprehended and described the great persecutions [and] horrible troubles, that haue bene wrought and practised by the Romishe prelates.... [Foxe's Book of Martyrs]

London: dwellyng ouer Aldersgate: John Day, 1563. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. First edition, black letter, double column, 2 folding woodcut plates, 44 woodcut illustrations within text, woodcut historiated or decorative initials (including one large depicting Queen Elizabeth enthroned in her coronation robes) & tail-pieces, printed slip at foot of AAa2v, duplicates of EEE2&5 bound in (the signature complete), occasional contemporary or later ink marginalia, lacking *1&2 (including title), [fleuron]1-4 (calendar), B6 ('The utility of this history') & VVVV1-4 (index and colophon), all supplied in facsimile, also lacking the 2 slips with the woodcut illustration for pp.25 and 41 (these pp. with blank space for illustration), & the plate of King John at p.69 (this provided in facsimile), KKk2 torn at head and repaired (with loss of text) & with marginal repairs, folding woodcut plate at p.1548 with minor loss to border & mounted on stub, kalender printed in red & black, closely trimmed at head in places, occasionally affecting a headline, a few small wormholes in places, occasional marginal repairs, some spotting or staining, lightly browned, endpapers renewed, contemporary style calf, spine in compartments, covers with metal center, & corner-pieces (1 corner-piece missing from lower cover), remains of metal clasps, joints starting, but holding firm, ?spine repaired, rubbed and marked. All housed in a custom half calf drop box with a black morocco gilt label (304*207 mm). [ESTC S122006. STC 11222. PMM 86]. ? A rare appearance of the first edition of Foxe's monumental work of early English Church history. It is most often found defective. This vividly illustrated work is comprised of five books, which include the early Christian martyrs; a brief history of the medieval church, and the Lollard movement; the reign of Henry VIII and the break with Rome; and finally, the reign of Queen Mary and the Marian Persecutions. Title, [*II], [3] Kalender, [1] Almanacke, B1-B5, (B6fac. Utility of History), 1-8pp, 49-56 ff, 56-63 ff, 62-67 pp, 68-71 ff, 72-75 pp, 62-67 pp, 68-72 ff, 70-73 pp, 73-74 pp, 85-468 pp, 465-468 pp, (473 only), 475-477 ff, (477 only), (467, 478 pp only), 481-676 pp, (8 pp), 683-693 pp, 696-888 pp, 877-1084 pp, 1083-1548 pp, 1537-1708 pp, 17101713 ff, 1713-1741 pp, [1], [39] INDEX, [1] printers limitation.