Memoirs of the Martyr King Charles I – Allan Fea – 1905 | First Edition, Portraits & Find Binding

Memoirs of the Martyr King by Allan Fea is a rare first edition published in London in 1905 by John Lane. This large folio volume brings together narratives and documents relating to the final years, trial, and downfall of King Charles I of England. Noteworthy for its scale and presentation, the book stands out for its finely bound leather covers with elaborate gilt tooling and its extensive illustrated content. The work includes thirty-nine engraved portraits of central figures from the Stuart period, among them Charles I, Queen Henrietta Maria, Oliver Cromwell, Anne Lady Fanshawe, James Stuart, and Princess Elizabeth, alongside architectural engravings of significant English sites. Within its text are accounts by Major Huntington, Sir John Berkeley, John Ashburnham, Sir Henry Firebrace, and Colonel Edward Cooke, all of whom were directly connected to events surrounding the king’s imprisonment and execution.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Memoirs of the Martyr King: Being a Record of the Last Two Years of the Reign of His Most Sacred Majesty King Charles the First
• Author(s): Allan Fea
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: London; John Lane: The Bodley Head,
• Edition: First edition, 1905
• Format: Folio, single volume
• Binding: Full leather with gilt tooling
• Size:  13 in x 10.5 in (33 cm x 26.5 cm)
• Collation: xx, 278 pp
• Illustrations: Illustrated throughout including 39 portrait engravings and numerous architectural views
• Contents Include:
  • Narratives from Major Huntington, Sir John Berkeley, John Ashburnham, Sir Henry Firebrace, and Colonel Edward Cooke
  • Portrait engravings of Charles I, Henrietta Maria, Oliver Cromwell, James Stuart, Anne Lady Fanshawe, Princess Elizabeth
  • Architectural engravings of English historic buildings
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): references

Condition:

A large folio in gilt-decorated leather, secure in binding with a complete text block. Pages remain clean, with engravings clear and well-printed. The volume shows expected age wear consistent with early 20th-century leather bindings but retains a strong, beautiful presentation.

Why Collect This?

• Rare first edition of Allan Fea’s authoritative account of Charles I’s final years
• Includes original 39 portrait engravings plus numerous architectural and artifact illustrations

Item Number: #29434