Books

London: Printed for Hurst Robinson & Co. Cheapside, 1820, Later Edition in Four Volumes, complete. Four volumes in an attractive elegant Georgian morocco leather binding with gilt titles and decoration to the spine and boards, gilt page edges, illustrated with engraved plates and pictorial titles. Gently worn and rubbed, but in very good condition for leather bindings that are 200 years old. Vol. I [vi], v-xx, 371pp, with an engraved frontispiece, title page and 4 additional engravings; Vol. II [vi], 388pp, with an engraved frontispiece, title page and 4 additional engravings; Vol. III [viii], 367pp, with an engraved frontispiece, title page and 4 additional engravings; Vol. IV [viii], 436pp, with an engraved frontispiece, title page and 4 additional engravings. Provenance: signature dated 1830 for WW Dowde, changed to AA Dowde. Approximately 6 � inches tall (17cm). Condition Report Externally Spine good condition gilt titles and decoration to the spine, four broad raised bands, gently rubbed and worn. Joints good condition sound. Corners good condition gently bumped and worn. Boards good condition full gilt decorated leather, gently marked and worn. Page edges good condition top edges slightly darkened, all edges gilt. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition sound. Paste downs good condition plain dark brown paper. End papers good condition plain dark brown paper, subsequently tanned and foxed in all volumes. Title good condition tanned and foxed in all volumes. Pages good condition b/w frontispiece and pictorial title in each volume, tanned and minor foxing to each volume. Binding good condition sound, attractive set of this works.

"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a series of adventures, with Don Quixote seeking to right wrongs and bring justice to the world, driven by his absurdly outdated moral code and understanding of reality.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.