xxviii, 737 pages, wood engraved frontispiece and wood engraved plates and chapter head and tail-pieces throughout, half maroon leather with matching cloth sides, spine titled and decorated gilt in panels, marbled edges, a very good copy.
Wikipedia: 'The critical authority Gordon N. Ray put it plainly: "One can hardly deny that Doré is not merely one of the most popular but also one of the greatest of all illustrators… Don Quixote was a text calculated to test even Doré. He was matching himself against Coypel and Tony Johannot, not to mention the Spanish illustrators of the great Ibarra edition published in Madrid in 1780. He met the challenge superbly… At first he intended only 40 designs, but Cervantes' book captured his imagination, and he arranged for a major work… Don Quixote and Sancho Panza reached their definitive rendering in Doré's designs."'
'The English-language edition first appeared in 30 monthly parts, beginning in December 1864. Cassell published this English version in parts between 1864 and 1867 before issuing it in book form in 1867, thereafter reissuing it several times, each time undated.
'The publisher: Cassell, Petter & Galpin — dating the edition. The firm's name on the title page is the key to dating any particular copy precisely. Cassell's had an annoying habit of not dating many of their publications. The firm was founded in 1848 by John Cassell (1817–1865) who went bankrupt in 1855 and the company was taken over by Thomas Dixon Galpin and George William Petter, trading thereafter as Cassell, Petter & Galpin. From 1878 in partnership with Robert Turner it traded as Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company. Petter resigned in 1883 and from 1888 the company was known as Cassell & Co. This gives us a precise dating tool: "Cassell, Petter and Galpin" = 1864–1878.’
'The illustrations' critical reputation is unambiguous and permanent. Of the numerous Quixote interpretations by many outstanding artists, Doré's has become the standard. People still speak of it only as "Doré's Don Quixote." If the Inferno is the grandest of Doré's achievements, Don Quixote is the most human.'
NB: This is a very heavy volume. Please consult us for shipping quotations for overseas dispatch.
- Overall Condition: Very good
- Size: 4to (320 x 240 mm)
