The History of Don Quixote [de la Mancha] ([1860s])

The English text of this single-volume Don Quixote was edited by J W Clark from the originals of Motteau and Jarvis. The volume includes a short biography of Cervantes by T Teignmouth Shore.

This edition is famous for Gustave Dore's engravings. Dore was the leading artist in this genre of his day. There are 118 of his inserted full-page single-sided plates as well as numerous other Dore illustrations in the text.

The original tan crushed morocco boards, with gilt-tooled designs and lettering to the upper panel and spine, have been strengthened with matching Skivertex, with the back-strip relaid on the new spine. The original worn endpapers have been replaced with new plain ends. No attempt has been made to repair the light corner-wear or the rubbed area covering about five per cent of the lower, blind-embossed, panel. The binding is tight and the pages open flat. All page edges are gilt. The contents - xxviii + 737 pp of illustrated text + 118 engraved plates - are complete, with no owner or other markings or tears. Early and late pages are lightly foxed and there is light offset from a few of the plates, but with no loss of text readability.

Overall, this is a finely restored copy of perhaps the best single-volume illustrated Don Quixote in English.