The History and Invention of the Renowned Don Quixote
London: The Folio Society, 1995.
Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Hardcover.
Second Folio Society Printing of 1997. The History and Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote was first published in Spanish in 1605. The translation by Tobias Smollett was first pubished in 1755 The present edition follows the text of Smollett's corrected edition of 1770, though Smollett's spelling has been modernised. Printed on Caxton Wove paper by BAS Printers, Over Wallop, Hampshire and bound by Hunter & Foulis, Edinburgh in cloth printed with a drawing by the artist.
Widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, Don Quixote is the satirical tale of the chivalrous adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote de la Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they wander through sixteenth-century Spain, tilting at windmills along the way.
Lionel Trilling has said that “all prose fiction is a variation on the theme of Don Quixote." Salman Rushdie’s take on the Smollett translation: “To my mind, this is the only English rendering of Quixote that reads like a great novel, a novel of immense daring, much wildness and many colours. It releases Don Quixote from the grey academic prison of many more recent translations, unleashing him upon the English language in all his brilliant, foolish glory."
Very Fine. Item #9010516-1/4 x 9-7/8”, orange cloth with Quentin Blake illustration printed in brown, gilt titles, brown endpapers, xxxix, 769pp, frontis. illustration, 16 full-page brown-hued illustrations in the text.
A crisp, bright copy, very fine in slip-case.
Price: $150.00