Guy Fawkes: or The Gun Powder Treason. An Historical Romance.
AINSWORTH, William Harrison.
Guy Fawkes: or The Gun Powder Treason. An Historical Romance.
First Edition of William Harrison Ainsworth's Guy Fawkes
London: Richard Bentley, 1840-1841.
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Item Number: 148379
First edition of this classic historical novel. Octavo, bound in full maroon marocco by Riviere & Son with gilt titles to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, frontispiece, illustrations by George Cruikshank. In near fine condition with light rubbing and a small closed tear to the bottom of the frontispiece. Ownership plate of the Brooklyn Public Library to the front pastedown.
William Harrison Ainsworth’s 'Guy Fawkes' is a historical romance that reimagines the events of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot through a blend of Gothic elements, political intrigue, and fictional embellishment. The novel centers on Guy Fawkes and a cast of conspirators who seek to restore Catholicism in England by attempting to destroy the Houses of Parliament. Ainsworth explores themes of religious persecution, fanaticism, and fate, while also humanizing Fawkes as a tragic, morally conflicted figure rather than a mere traitor. Originally published as a serial, it first appeared in 1840 in Bentley’s Miscellany, a popular literary magazine of the time, which Ainsworth was editing after taking over from Charles Dickens. The novel was serialized in monthly installments before being published in book form in 1841.
