Don Quixote (Hardcover)

~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Author), Manual Boix (Illustrator), Magda Bogin (Translator) "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was at once the glory and reproach of Spain; for, if his admirable genius and heroic spirit conduced to the honour..." (more)
Key Phrases: lady dutchess, afflicted duenna, armed capapee, Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, Don Fernando (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This imposing volume presents the first part of the quest by the beloved Don, whose name stands for chivalry and courage--"The Impossible Dream." The book's heavy stock, binding and design all impart an air of style and prestige, reinforced by Bogin's suave translation, which makes good use of abundant dialogue. (The phraseology and vocabulary, however--"erstwhile," "apothecary," "coherence"--will be beyond younger readers.) Though the paintings by Spanish artist Boix are masterfully executed, some lack the sweep expected from this panoramic work; much of the imagery is somewhat pallid, both in tone and emotional impact. And, though the architectural details, period apparel and scenery are all richly evocative, the characters themselves are often small in scale and dwarfed by their stunning surroundings. Nevertheless, the presence of an elegantly produced, picture book version of this classic merits attention and applause. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-- Cervantes's Don Quixote, the moniker and persona adopted by the addled Senor Quijada , who has read a few too many chivalric romances, hardly needs introduction to adults. However, most young people will have hardly heard him mentioned, much less had any firsthand contact with this larger-than-life literary creation. Bogin has taken some of the more involving, outrageous, and well-known adventures of the knight errant and his squire, Sancho Panza, and put them together into a relatively brief narrative that nonetheless is strikingly true to the tone and style of the Spanish original. Her prose, lively and at times employing modern vernacular to good effect, does full justice to Cervantes's mad Knight of the Sad Countenance. It begs reading aloud, and may well start discussion and contemplation. Boix's illustrations are delicate, detailed, gold-washed watercolors that create a kind of fairy-tale ambience. They will grab readers' attention and imaginations and direct anyone picking the book up to delve into it and to find out what's going on. Taken as a whole, this is a lovely job of bookmaking, providing an examplary introduction to a classic work. --Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent,
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 139 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556702019
• ISBN-13: 978-1556702013
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,058,995 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent edition of this classic., January 21, 2003

By	Daryl Anderson (Trumansburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Don Quixote de La Mancha (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

Note: Amazon.com seems to have a hard time linking reviews to specific editions - it makes a difference. This review is of the Modern Library edition, ISBN-0679602860, translated by Samuel Putnam. I am reposting it, hoping it will link correctly this time).

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When you approach reading (or rereading) a "classic" work you really, mostly, don't have to think about whether to read it -- that decision was either made by someone assigning it to you or, more wonderfully, by you, yourself deciding to swim contra-current against the cultural waters... following Neil Young's advice to "turn off that MTV."

So. You are going to read it. And, if you are paddling the Amazon.com, here, you are going to buy and OWN it. The question really becomes which edition you should own.

This is the one.

Its a fine translation - surprising in its avoidance of archaic language. It has a nice structure - the inevitable notes are available but not obtrusive.

This edition, the Modern Library hardback edition, translated by Putnam, is also a nice book to own. It isn't one of those pretty faux-leather "shelf-candy" copies that'll break your wallet first. This is a hardworking book - the essence of the Modern Library idea. But it is a wonderful packaging of the whole 1000+ pages that is both readable and shelvable. No thousand-page paperback will survive an actual reading as anything you would want excepting as backup next to the latrine.

Did I mention that it is a great book, great story? Well, others over the years have managed that :-). But I will loudly agree. I'm rereading it only now after a 35 year hiatus (yes, indeed, classics can be lost on the young - thats why you want books that last. In 35 more years, when you turn your lance back toward targets you thought you left behind, a copy will cost you [a lot of money]). It is just plain startling in its innovations and story. I always thought Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard were the first to break down that "third wall" and talk to the audience - yet here is Cervantes doing so five centuries back ! Wow.

Even if you've been made to buy it and to read it, buy a nice copy. Read the "Cliff notes" if you must, but someday you'll be a crazy old coot like Don Q. (or me) and want to toss something more meaningful than Palahniuk (or even Rushdie) at the cobwebs that cling.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Don, March 10, 2000

By	Sierra (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Don Quixote (Classics) (Paperback)

I was assigned to read this book this year in my senior Humanities class. We were not expected to read every chapter, but once I started, I couldn't dream of skipping anything. Don Quixote, Book 1, tells the story of a man more optimistic and idealistic than any other in literature. He sets out as a "righter of wrongs and injustices" and doesn't let anything stand in his way. Book one is also incredibly funny in many parts, both physically and intellectually. Book 2, although a somewhat difficult read and much less humorous, is by far the better work of art. At first, I was apalled at the ending of the book, but I now feel that Cervantes was justified in his ending because he wanted us to mourn the absence of chivalry and hope in our world. I cannot express how much perspective this book will add to your life. Tip: If you are reading Don Quixote in English, I reccommend the Putnam translation.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Translations..., March 23, 2005

By	E. Brandom - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Don Quixote (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

The paper-back modern library edition (NOT what one reviewer commented on below) is a translation by Tobias Smollett first published in 1755. If you're going to read a book as talked-about and deeply ingrained in our collective mental universe as this one is, you have a very wide range of translations to choose from. Smollett was a major writer in his own right, and 18th century English prose is much closer in flavor to the original Spanish than anything written these days could be. There is a certain violence about the vocabulary and the constructions Smollett uses that fits very well with Cervantes. This books was first and foremost successful because it was rudely, bloodily, enthusiastically *funny* and Smollett is quite as up to the jokes about belching (which we learn is more politely termed 'eructing') and whipping as he is to Don Quixote's elevated speeches on knight-errantry.

Carlos Fuentes' introcution is wonderful and learned (like most everything Fuentes writes). Read the novel first, though. It really needs no more introduction than all of the bits and pieces one has already heard.

My only complaint about this version is the layout or the notes (hence 4 stars, rather than 5). Since this translation was itself made 250 years ago, some of the vocabulary and usage is a bit strange. Not that this really hinders the read, but it would be nice to be able to flip back to the notes when something of particular or peculiar interest pops up. The notes, however, are labled by book and chapter. There are two parts to the novel, and each has several books containing many chapters. It can be hard to find the note you're looking for without a lot of flipping around. This is a relatively minor gripe.

Altogether, I strongly recommend the modern library paper-back edition. Smollett is an excellent translator, and Fuentes provides erudite commentary. Modern Library makes very solid books, and since this one is 1100+ pages, it's especially important that the pages at the front don't start to fall out by the time you get to the ones at the back.

Go forth and read!