William Harrison Ainsworth - Works

Historical novelist, born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, NW England, UK. He studied for the law, but began a literary career instead, and is chiefly remembered for popularizing the story of the highwayman Dick Turpin in Rookwood (1834) and the legend of Herne the Hunter in Windsor Castle (1843). He edited Ainsworth's Magazine (1842–53), and wrote nearly 40 popular historical romances. He was a friend of Dickens and Thackeray.

William Harrison Ainsworth (February 4, 1805 - January 3, 1882) was an English historical novelist. For a short time he tried the publishing business, but soon gave it up and devoted himself to journalism and literature his first success as a writer of romance being scored with Rookwood in 1834, of which Dick Turpin is the leading character; Tower of London was his fourth work, and, according to Ainsworth himself, it was written chiefly with the aim of interesting his fellow-countrymen in the historical associations of the Tower.

Works

Rookwood (1834) Jack Sheppard, available freely at Project Gutenberg (1839) The Tower of London (1840) Old St Paul's, available freely at Project Gutenberg (1841) Windsor Castle, available freely at Project Gutenberg (1843) The Lancashire Witches, available freely at Project Gutenberg The Constable of the Tower Crichton (1837) Guy Fawkes (1842) The Star Chamber, vol. 1, available freely at Project Gutenberg; The Star Chamber, vol. 2, available freely at Project Gutenberg (1842) The Flitch of Bacon (1842) The Miser's Daughter (1842) Auriol (1844) Preston Fight or The Insurrection of 1715 (1875)