Books

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907. half ivory leather over cream cloth-covered boards decorated in gilt, top edges gilt. small 4to. half ivory leather over cream cloth-covered boards decorated in gilt, top edges gilt. lxviii, 385, xv, 416, xxiii, 385, xvi, 421 pages, with supplementary portfolio 'Plates before Letter'. Translated by Thomas Shelton. Illustrations by Daniel Vierge. With an introductin by Royal Cortissoz. Five Volumes. Limited to 1,150 copies, of which this is one of 140 numbered copies printed on Japan Paper, with two additional full-page illustrations (one each in volume 1 and volume 4) and with a fifth volume of extra prints, before letter, of all the full-page illustrations. Chemise of volume one broken along all hinges but present in pieces. Spines of all four chemise age-darkened. All four volumes still have the original dust jackets and are in pristine condition. A well-preserved set, and very scarce with the supplementary portfolio. Generously…

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series of adventures, with Don Quixote seeking to right wrongs and bring justice to the world, driven by his absurdly outdated moral code and understanding of reality.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