Books

First Smirke edition, in the desirable large quarto format with the plates on india paper. This elegantly bound copy is extra-illustrated with a mezzotint frontispiece after Henry Liverseege (1802-1832), who, like the illustrator Robert Smirke, often took Cervantes and Shakespeare as subjects for his painting. Robert Smirke (1793-1845) entered the Royal Academy fully in 1793, for which his diploma work was Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. His daughter Mary, who provided the translation, was both a painter and a strong linguist. Finely printed with wide-margins and striking illustrations, the Smirke edition was also published in a smaller imperial octavo and a "largest paper" issue. 4 vols, quarto (279 x 231 mm). Near-contemporary diced russia, spines with raised bands lettered in gilt, compartments elaborately decorated in gilt, gilt fillets to boards and turn-ins, French Curl pattern marbled endpapers, edges gilt. Mezzotint frontispiece after Henry Liverseege engraved by James Egan and dated 1848, 48 engraved plates after paintings by Robert Smirke, printed on india paper and mounted, 26 engraved vignette head- and tailpieces in text. Ownership inscription to verso of vol. I title page of Edward Alexander Jr of Glasgow, dated September 1855, with his bookplate to front pastedowns. Extremities lightly rubbed, occasional foxing to contents, but generally clean. A handsome set. Lowndes II, p. 401.

"Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes is a seminal work in Western literature, often regarded as the first modern novel. Published in two parts, the first in 1605 and the second in 1615, it tells the story of Alonso Quixano, a middle-aged gentleman from the region of La Mancha in central Spain. Obsessed with the chivalric romances of the Middle Ages, he loses his sanity and decides to become a knight-errant, renaming himself Don Quixote. He chooses a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, promising him the governorship of an island. The duo embarks on a series of adventures, with Don Quixote seeking to right wrongs and bring justice to the world, driven by his absurdly outdated moral code and understanding of reality. The novel is famous for its satirical examination of the discrepancy between Quixote's fantasy world and the actual world of 17th-century Spain. This theme is most famously illustrated in the episode where Don Quixote fights windmills, mistaking them for giant monsters. Throughout their journeys, the pair encounters thieves, prostitutes, a chain gang, and various other characters, often causing more harm than good in their attempts to help. "Don Quixote" explores themes of truth and justice, the transition from the old world to the new, and the idea of madness versus sanity. Cervantes employs a narrative structure that includes stories within stories, allowing him to critique the social and literary conventions of his time. The novel has had a profound influence on the development of prose fiction and is considered a precursor to the modern novel. It is celebrated for its humor, moral integrity, and its deep humanity, offering a complex reflection on the nature of reality and the importance of empathy.