Don Quixote

For my second time, I finished reading both volumes of Don Quixote. Written ten years apart, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. I love the concept of this book where a middle-aged guy gets hooked on reading fantasy books about knights and imagines himself a knight, recruits his neighbor, Sancho Panza, to be his squire, and wanders the world in pursuit of adventure. He gets into all sorts of trouble, with varying levels of hilarity. Sancho, bless his heart, is hoping to be rewarded with an island to govern or an earldom. He's a simple man...I guess both are...but an honest guy trying to improve his state in the world.

Cover of Easton Press version of "Don Quixote"

I am a Sucker for Slipcases

I got a gorgeous copy from Easton Press some years ago. Actually, this was the first deluxe book I had bought directly from them. I finally got around to reading it. Weighing in at well over 700 pages, it was a daunting task, but an enjoyable one. It is beautifully illustrated by Gustave Dore. Seriously, there are a ton of illustrations in this book. Well over a hundred full-page illustrations, made with wood carvings and ink, and as many half-page illustrations, at the beginnings of each chapter, and smaller ones, which adorn the close of most chapters. It's amazing. I'm not comfortable hazarding a guess about how long any of these larger illustrations took, much less the collective work of all of them. Amazing.

Full-Page "Don Quixote" Illustration

The two volumes, though having similar themes, have somewhat different tones. During parts of the second volume, I felt like the story was wearing out its welcome a little bit. By the end of the second volume, though, I rethought that perception and do believe both volumes are well worth reading. They should be read sequentially, though...there's not much reason to wait before starting the second volume after finishing the first.

The second volume actually starts with the main characters discussing the then-printed first volume. Their reminiscences ultimately inspire Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to resume their adventures. At the end of the first volume, Don Quixote gets taken home in a cage by what he believes are enchanters to return to a regular domestic life. His books had all been burned at the beginning of the first volume, but they had already had their impact on Don Quixote's mind and worldview.

Magnet Book Cover I Used for Don Quixote

In the second volume, a duke and those who serve him play a series of elaborate tricks on Don Quixote and Sancho Panza...at the time, and still now, I felt like their jests went way too far. But it's not fair to admonish a book like this for not being realistic as the book itself is meant in good humor. As an example, they convince the two of them that Sancho needed to lash himself three thousand times to rescue Don Quixote's love, Dulcinea, from an enchantment. Sancho ultimately pretends to do it in exchange for some money, but himself tricks Don Quixote by lashing a tree rather than himself. Sancho, as I alluded to above, is simple, though, and had apparently forgotten or maybe overlooked that he himself had invented the enchantment of Dulcinea in an effort to trick and distract Don Quixote.

There are all kinds of misadventures in this adventure story. Some are much more engaging than others. I found myself wondering whether anyone had resurrected the premise in modern days...for example, presenting a college student who imagined himself a mystical druid and wandering the world. I would create one myself but am more inclined to create new and original stories rather than recasting previously told ones to the extent I am able to.

Elfi Resting on Don Quixote - Included for Cute Factor and to Illustrate Book's Size

I highly recommend the Don Quixote books. They are a joy to read and, if you can get your hands on a copy, on eBay or whatever, the Easton Press version I read most recently is magnificent. I doubt I'll read these books a third time in my life, but one never knows. They are fun and I'm not old yet.