Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs' and Early Modern Print Culture

A comprehensive 2006 investigation of the Book of Martyrs's compilation, printing, publication, illustration, and reception.

John N. King (Author)

9781107403628, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 October 2011

370 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.35 kg

Review of the hardback: '[Together, this volume and Elizabeth Evenden and Thomas Freeman's Religion and the Book in Early Modern England: The Making of John Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs'] stand as a comprehensive account of the history of this important book, and they should serve as the foundational monographs for any future study of Foxe, historical or literary.' Ryan Netzley, Journal of British Studies

This book was first published in 2006. Second only to the Bible and Book of Common Prayer, John Foxe's Acts and Monuments, known as the Book of Martyrs, was the most influential book published in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The most complex and best-illustrated English book of its time, it recounted in detail the experiences of hundreds of people who were burned alive for their religious beliefs. John N. King offers the most comprehensive investigation yet of the compilation, printing, publication, illustration, and reception of the Book of Martyrs. He charts its reception across different editions by learned and unlearned, sympathetic and antagonistic readers. The many illustrations included here introduce readers to the visual features of early printed books and general printing practices both in England and continental Europe, and enhance this important contribution to early modern literary studies, cultural and religious history, and the history of the Book.

Introduction
1. The compilation of the book
2. The Book of Martyrs in the printing house
3. Viewing the pictures
4. Reading the pages
Appendix. Glossary of technical terms
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Publishing industry & book trade [KNTP]