1849 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES
A Romance of Pendle Forrest
 
*ORIGINAL FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHERS BINDING*
By: William Harrison Ainsworth
Published in London: Henry Colburn
 
Brief but amazing back story of the books journey: This is the first time these books have been to the United States. They originally came from a very old home in Pendle Hill, which is in the east of Lancashire, England.
 
Based on the true story of the Pendle witches, who were executed in 1612 for witchcraft. Considered Ainsworth's best work and "one of the major English novels about witchcraft".
William Harrison Ainsworth’s The Lancashire Witches is a sweeping historical novel that blends documented history, English folklore, and gothic drama into one of the most famous literary accounts of the Pendle witch trials of 1612.
The story opens centuries before the trials, with a dark legend surrounding the Abbey of Whalley, where a monk’s sorcery brings about a curse that hangs over the land for generations. This supernatural prologue sets the tone for the unfolding events.
Although rooted in historical events, the book fully embraces Gothic elements: curses, apparitions, demonic pacts, secret rites, and morally ambiguous characters. Ainsworth dramatizes the witch trials as both terrifying and tragic, suggesting that human fear and fanaticism can be far more dangerous than any alleged supernatural power. The novel ultimately portrays the Lancashire witch trials as a convergence of superstition, political tension, religious conflict, and personal vendettas. Resulting in the downfall of many innocent people.
 
Original First Edition. 177-year-old books with age. Pages are clean with age around the edges (shelf wear), a few pages have age spots. Original publisher’s drab boards with dark green cloth spines and paper spine labels. All three books are intact. There are some pencil notes on the inside cover of book #1. Three volumes: 320 pages, 318 pages, 359 pages. See photos for condition and appearance.
 
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