1821 – Don Quixote by Cervantes Saavedra | Famous Jarvis English Translation – 4vol

“Small wonder if the world received Don Quixote with delight! There was nothing like unto it before: there has been nothing to eclipse it since”. – Rius, D. Leopoldo.

This rare early 19th-century printing of the famous Spanish novel ‘Don Quixote’ is an exact line-for-line re-issue of Charles Jervas’ translation from 1801. This translation is highly praised as the most accurate translation of the novel through the 18th-century. Worth noting, it is because his translation of ‘Don Quixote’ that Jervas’ name was changed to Jarvis – due to a printer’s error – and the work has become known as ‘the Jarvis translation.’

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha
• Author(s): Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
• Contributor(s): Charles Jervas (Translator)
• Publisher: London: Printed by Wilson, for Bumpus
• Edition: 1821.
• Binding: Leather, Marbled boards
• Format: (16mo), four volumes
• Size:  6.5 in x 4 in (16.5 cm x 10.2 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol. I – lxii, [2], 295, [1];
  • Vol. II – viii, 319, [1];
  • Vol. III – xi, [1], 292;
  • Vol. IV – viii, 350
• Illustrations: Four engraved frontispieces
• Contents Include:
  • Translator’s Preface
  • Full English text of Don Quixote
  • Engraved frontispieces in each volume

Condition:

Very Good. Leather bindings show mild rubbing along joints and corners. Marbled boards are intact with surface wear. Spines are firm. Text blocks remain clean with mild age toning and no staining or worming.

Why Collect This?

• Early English issue of the best English translation
• Complete four volume set
• Historical misattribution of translator’s name

Item Number: # 29782