1870 Rare Book - Guy Fawkes, or the Gunpowder Treason illustrated by CRUIKSHANK.

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Author: AINSWORTH, William Harrison. (CRUIKSHANK, George, illustrator).
Title: Guy Fawkes, or The Gunpowder Treason, an Historical Romance.
Publisher: London: George Routledge and Sons., no date (circa 1870).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 " X 6 ".
Pages: viii-359 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good half-calf leather binding over marbled covers (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Upper edge gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight, and clean, some light foxing mainly on the frontispiece - as shown)
Illustrations: Complete with all the beautiful engraved plates by George Cruikshank.

The book: Rare and attractive early edition of Guy Fawkes Or, The Gunpowder Treason.

Guy Fawkes: Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.  The plot was an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London on 5 November 1605, in order to restore a Catholic head of state. The use of a mask on an effigy has long roots as part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. A stylised portrayal of a face with an oversized smile and red cheeks, a wide moustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard, designed by illustrator David Lloyd, came to represent broader protest after it was used as a major plot element in V for Vendetta, published in 1982, and its 2005 film adaptation. After appearing in Internet forums, the mask became a well-known symbol for the online hacktivist group Anonymous, used in Project Chanology, the Occupy movement, and other anti-government and anti-establishment protests around the world.

The author: William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 1805 – 3 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in London he met the publisher John Ebers, at that time manager of the King's Theatre, Haymarket. Ebers introduced Ainsworth to literary and dramatic circles, and to his daughter, who became Ainsworth's wife.

The illustrator:  George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached an international audience.