Books

**ILLUSTRATED MODERN LIBRARY WITH SALVADOR DALI ILLUSTRATIONS EXTREMELY RARE IN THIS FINE CONDITION!** Don Quixote by Cervantes. The Illustrated Modern Library, 1946, First Edition Thus. Bound in decorative boards with gilt spine and an acetate dust jacket with printed text on front. Ten Absolutely gorgeous full page color illustrations by Salvador Dali. The book is in NEAR FINE+ condition. Binding tight and solid, gilt on spine perfect, boards nice and bright, slightest of shelf wear to extremities. Contents are AMAZINGLY clean and bright with no writing in the book. Amazing illustrations! The all-important glassine or acetate dust jacket is in FINE CONDITION! Complete with no tears. Printing on dust jacket is PRISTINE. These dust jackets are usually missing and when present usually torn and exhibiting drastic wear. This is an incredibly rare gorgeous example! I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW RARE IT IS TO FIND A COPY OF THIS BOOK IN THIS NEAR NEW BOOKSTORE CONDITION! ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PUBLICATIONS BY THE MODERN LIBRARY! **I WILL BE LISTIING OVER 400 COLLECTIBLE, RARE, OR SIGNED MODERN LIBRARY EDITIONS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS FROM 30 YEARS OF ACTIVE COLLECTING AROUND THE WORLD - PLEASE VISIT MY SELLERS PAGE TO VIEW THEM ALL**.

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series of adventures, with Don Quixote seeking to right wrongs and bring justice to the world, driven by his absurdly outdated moral code and understanding of reality.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