Don Quixote of the Mancha (Harvard Classics, Part 14) [Paperback]

Miguel de Cervantes (Author), Thomas Shelton (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2004

Edited by Charles W. Eliot. Contents: The First Part of the Delightful History of the Most Ingenious Knight. The present volume contains the whole of the first part of the novel, which is complete in itself. The second part, issued in 1615, the year before his death, is of a nature of a sequel, and is generally regarded as inferior. In writing his great novel, Cervantes set out to parody the romances of chivalry. With reference to the fiction of the Middle Ages, it is a triumphant satire; with reference to modern novels, it is the first and the most widely enjoyed.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Miguel De Cervantes (1547-1616) was born to a poor family in the town of Alcalá de Henares in Spain. After being educated in Madrid (where he was his schoolmaster's 'most beloved pupil') he went to Italy where it was not long before he volunteered for the army. Cervantes took part in the great naval battle of Lepanto (1571), when the Christian powers led by the Venetians defeated the Turks in the eastern Mediterranean. As a result he was wounded in the left hand which rendered it useless and earned him the title 'El Manco de Lepanto'. In 1575, while returning to Spain from another military expedition, he was captured by pirates and taken to Algiers as a prisoner. His captivity lasted for five long years during which he made repeated efforts to escape, firmly believing that 'one should risk one's life for honour and liberty'. When Cervantes was finally ransomed he returned to Spain, not to a hero's welcome as he expected, but to find himself with no money and apparently no future. He turned to writing for his livelihood, drawing on his experiences in prison and as a soldier for his stories and plays. His early works brought neither wealth nor fame but when the first part of Don Quixote was published in 1605 it proved to be an instant success. Translated into English in 1612 it has been one of the world's most popular and influential books ever since. Even with this, however, and the second part which was published in 1614, Cervantes did not become a rich man, but he did obtain for himself a patron and was thereafter able to devote himself fully to his writings. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 552 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (January 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766181804
• ISBN-13: 978-0766181809
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,893,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, December 31, 2011

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yadunnyet - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Don Quixote of the Mancha (Everyman's Library Children's Classics) (Hardcover)

My eight year old read and thoroughly enjoyed this story. It is a perfect abridgment of the Don Quixote story for young readers.