Books

San Francisco: Arion Press, 2010. Hardcover. Fine. Hardcover. Number 40 of 400 copies for sale and 26 lettered copies for complimentary distribution. Signed and numbered by the artist, William Wiley. This is a superb deluxe edition of Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel and among the greatest works of literature in the world. It was published ini two volumes in 1605 and 1615. The Press commissioned the acclaimed translation by Edith Grossman (1936-2023) of the novel. She was considered one of the foremost translators of Spanish language literature. The artist, William T. Wiley, was an American artist. His work spanned a broad range of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, performance, and pinball. At least some of Wiley's work has been referred to as funk art. [Wikipedia] The incidents from the novel that he depicts are comic and tragic. Bound in three-piece tan pigskin with dark brown spines with gilt titling and a DQ monogram in gold, designed by Wiley,…

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series of adventures, with Don Quixote seeking to right wrongs and bring justice to the world, driven by his absurdly outdated moral code and understanding of reality.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