Fox’s Book of Martyrs

John Foxe’s monumental history chronicles the persecutions and martyrdoms of Christians, especially the Protestant martyrs burned during the reign of Mary I of England, in vivid and harrowing detail. Enormously influential in shaping English Protestant identity, it was for centuries one of the most widely read books in England, second only to the Bible in many households. Passionate, partisan, and unforgettable in its scenes of courage and suffering, it is both a work of history and a powerful piece of religious literature. Fox’s Book of Martyrs remains a landmark of the Reformation and a compelling, if fierce, record of faith tested by fire.