1880 Rare Book - Guy Fawkes, or the Gunpowder Treason by W. H. Ainsworth

Author: William Harrison Ainsworth. 
Title: Guy Fawkes. An Historical Romance.
Publisher: London, W. Nicholson & Sons, Limited, undated (1880).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5".
Pages: 287 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s decorative green cloth binding, blocked in black and titled in gilt to spine and front board (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A well-preserved Victorian cloth binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and toning - as shown). 
Illustrations: Includes a frontispiece illustration by George Cruikshank from the 1841 first edition.

Estimate: (Scarce with no or few other copies of this particular edition available for sale worldwide).

The book: Ainsworth’s Guy Fawkes is one of the most famous literary dramatizations of the Gunpowder Plot, blending historical accuracy with gothic romance and melodrama. Originally serialized in 1840 and later published in book form, this later Victorian edition by Nicholson & Sons captures the era’s fondness for finely produced, accessible popular fiction. The tale explores themes of loyalty, persecution, and political unrest, centered on one of Britain’s most infamous conspirators. This beautifully bound and illustrated edition offers collectors and readers alike an evocative window into both 17th-century England and 19th-century publishing aesthetics.

The author: William Harrison Ainsworth (1805–1882) was a prolific English historical novelist and journalist, best known for romanticizing the darker corners of British history. His works such as The Tower of London, Old Saint Paul’s, and Lancashire Witches secured him a large readership in Victorian England. Though overshadowed by contemporaries like Dickens, Ainsworth’s novels remain valued for their spirited narratives, vivid settings, and contributions to the development of the historical novel.