{"product_id":"1890-rare-gothic-novel-auriol-or-the-elixir-of-life-by-w-harrison-ainsworth","title":"1890 Rare Gothic Novel - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life by W. Harrison Ainsworth","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"327\" data-end=\"1689\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"327\" data-end=\"338\"\u003eAuthor: \u003c\/strong\u003eW. Harrison Ainsworth. Illustrated by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne).\u003cbr data-start=\"432\" data-end=\"435\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"435\" data-end=\"445\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem data-start=\"446\" data-end=\"479\"\u003eAuriol; or, The Elixir of Life.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"479\" data-end=\"482\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"482\" data-end=\"496\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e London: George Routledge and Sons, [circa 1890]. New York: 416 Broome Street.\u003cbr data-start=\"574\" data-end=\"577\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"577\" data-end=\"590\"\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Text in English.\u003cbr data-start=\"607\" data-end=\"610\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"610\" data-end=\"619\"\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.5 x 5.5 inches.\u003cbr data-start=\"633\" data-end=\"636\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"636\" data-end=\"646\"\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 238 pages.\u003cbr data-start=\"657\" data-end=\"660\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"660\" data-end=\"672\"\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good and handsome half dark-green polished calf leather binding over green pebbled cloth boards, with five richly gilt-tooled raised bands and ornate floral gilt tooling to compartments, red morocco title label, marbled edges, and striking marbled endpapers (hinges fine, light rubbing to extremities and outer hinges, a touch of fading to calf on spine — as shown). A refined 19th-century binding.\u003cbr data-start=\"1079\" data-end=\"1082\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1082\" data-end=\"1094\"\u003eContent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good content (bright, tight and clean, scattered light foxing, chiefly to preliminaries and the margins of plates — as typical for this period and paper stock - as shown). Text pages remain clean and crisp. Features an elegant 19th-century armorial bookplate of Thomas James Dixon on front pastedown.\u003cbr data-start=\"1405\" data-end=\"1408\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1408\" data-end=\"1426\"\u003eIllustrations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Illustrated throughout with full-page engraved plates by Phiz, including “The Mysterious Interview in Hyde Park,” “The Elixir of Long Life,” “The Dog Fancier,” “The Compact,” “The Enchanted Chairs,” and others. All plates present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1691\" data-end=\"1721\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1691\" data-end=\"1704\"\u003eEstimate:\u003c\/strong\u003e (USD 250– 300).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1747\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1732\" data-end=\"1745\"\u003eThe book: \u003c\/strong\u003eA beautifully bound later 19th-century Routledge edition of \u003cem data-start=\"1804\" data-end=\"1836\"\u003eAuriol; or, The Elixir of Life\u003c\/em\u003e, one of W. Harrison Ainsworth’s most atmospheric and Gothic works. Mixing elements of alchemy, forbidden science, supernatural longevity, and melodramatic intrigue, the novel follows the enigmatic Auriol — a man bound to a sinister pact granting unnatural life at terrible moral cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2123\" data-end=\"2504\"\u003eSet against a vividly drawn London of hidden chambers, occult laboratories, shadowy streets, and fashionable promenades, Ainsworth’s narrative moves between Gothic mystery and social drama. This edition is enhanced by Phiz’s dramatic engravings, which bring the novel’s strangest and most theatrical scenes to life with characteristic movement, shadow, and emotional intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2506\" data-end=\"2707\"\u003ePresented here in a handsome period half-calf binding of excellent workmanship, this edition is ideal for collectors of Victorian Gothic fiction, illustrated literature, and fine 19th-century bindings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2714\" data-end=\"2735\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2718\" data-end=\"2733\"\u003eThe author: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2736\" data-end=\"2766\"\u003eWilliam Harrison Ainsworth\u003c\/strong\u003e (1805–1882) was a major figure in 19th-century English fiction, renowned for blending historical narrative, Gothic atmosphere, and popular melodrama. A contemporary of Dickens, Ainsworth achieved wide readership through works like \u003cem data-start=\"2998\" data-end=\"3019\"\u003eThe Tower of London\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"3021\" data-end=\"3036\"\u003eJack Sheppard\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-start=\"3042\" data-end=\"3058\"\u003eOld St. Paul’s\u003c\/em\u003e. His fiction is notable for its theatricality, its interplay of history and supernatural themes, and its long association with major illustrators of the Victorian age. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3233\" data-end=\"3259\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3237\" data-end=\"3257\"\u003eThe illustrator: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3260\" data-end=\"3291\"\u003ePhiz (Hablot Knight Browne)\u003c\/strong\u003e (1815–1882) was one of the great masters of Victorian book illustration, best known for his lifelong collaboration with Charles Dickens. Phiz’s energetic line work, expressive faces, and dramatic compositions made him one of the era’s defining storytellers in images. His plates for \u003cem data-start=\"3575\" data-end=\"3583\"\u003eAuriol\u003c\/em\u003e bring out the novel’s Gothic tension, mysterious settings, and emotional intensity with exceptional skill.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47026283249913,"sku":null,"price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20251116Auriol-000.jpg?v=1763314503","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1890-rare-gothic-novel-auriol-or-the-elixir-of-life-by-w-harrison-ainsworth","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}