The Best Works of William Harrison Ainsworth. Book 1

The Best Works of William Harrison Ainsworth. Book 1: 1. Rookwood; 2. Jack Sheppard; 3.  Guy Fawkes.


1. Rookwood

Published: 1834

In this sprawling historical epic, the aristocratic Rookwood clan has fallen upon hard times. When the title to the ancestral estate is set to change hands, some members of the family take it upon themselves to influence the outcome of the situation -- but their meddling has some unintended consequences.


2. Jack Sheppard 

Published: 1839

Jack Sheppard is a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth serially published in Bentley's Miscellany from 1839 to 1840, with illustrations by George Cruikshank.

 It is a historical romance and a Newgate novel based on the real life of the 18th-century criminal Jack Sheppard.

Sheppard is a thief who spends his time robbing various people. He and Blueskin rob the Wood's household, when Blueskin murders Mrs. Woods.


3. Guy Fawkes 

Published: 1842

The story is based on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Ainsworth relied heavily on historical documents describing the trial and execution of the conspirators, of whom Fawkes was one, but he also embellished the known facts. He invented the character of Viviana Radcliffe, daughter of the prominent Radcliffe family of Ordsall Hall – who becomes Fawkes's wife – and introduced supernatural elements into the story, such as the ability of the alchemist, John Dee, to raise the spirits of the dead.