The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant Don Quixote of the Mancha

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906 - 1907 Eight volumes. Translated from the Spanish by Thomas Shelton. Illustrated by Daniel Vierge with tissue guarded plates and in-text illustrations. With an introduction by Royal Cortissoz. First edition thus. One of 140 copies printed on Imperial Japan paper "with two additional full-page illustrations, and with extra prints, before letter, of all the full-page illustrations," numbered 77. From a total limitation of 1,150. Finely bound by Riviere in brown morocco, with five raised bands to spines, spine compartments ruled and lettered in gilt, spines decorated in blind, and top edge gilt. Near fine set, with light toning and rubbing to spines, light spotting to boards and text block edges, board edges rubbed to boards in some areas, and some offsetting to endpaper margins. Overall, an exceptionally pleasing set. First published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is widely considered one of the most influential works in the history of Spanish literature and an important part of the foundation of Western literature. The story tells of the fictional nobleman Alonso Quijano, an avid reader who sets out on a delusional journey to revive the antiquated notions of chivalry that were idealized in Medieval literature. Labeling himself a knight-errant and going by the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha, Alonso employs the help of a local farmer-turned-squire and travels through the countryside in a series of misguided attempts to save the innocent from harm. This edition contains the text from the first English translation of the two-volume work, done by Thomas Shelton in 1612 and 1620. Notably, Don Quixote has since been translated into many languages and is estimated to have sold over 10 million copies worldwide in its various editions. . Hard Cover. Fine.