Don Quixote Fine Press Options?

Greetings! I've been lurking on the Fine Press Forums for the last couple of months and have been introduced to many great books and publications because of the discussions that I have read about here! I'm a casual book collector looking to dip my toes into the world of fine press and have been looking to pick up copies of some of my favorite books in higher quality editions than my trade paperbacks.

One book that I truly love is Don Quixote and would love to have a version that I could treasure for decades to come. I've done some light research for what qualifies as "fine press" versions of Don Quixote, with the only one that I've managed to find being Arion Press' for $4,000. And while it looks to be a beautiful edition, that's a bit out of my price range (which would be anything less than $1,000). I've also seen Easton Press' edition for $260 which looks quite nice but I know falls outside of what would be considered true "fine press".

With that in mind, I wanted to ask what the options are for fine press editions of Don Quixote? And, if there aren't that many, if anyone has any recommendations for really high quality trade editions that will hold up for multiple readthroughs? I'm not too picky about translations as I've read a number and have a pretty decent grasp at the story by this point! Thank you for the help and I look forward to reading and discovering more about the world of fine press books!

I strongly recommend you consider the two versions that the Limited Editions Club produced, one in 1933 and one in 1950. Click here for a discussion on these books. I have the 1950 and absolutely love it, and it can be had for far below $1,000. The 1933, which seems to be highly regarded, is generally harder to find in nice condition and more expensive than '50. You can find photos of these books on eBay and elsewhere. I'm sure others will chime in with other excellent options as well.

>1 CapybaraMan:

The 1933 Limited Editions Club 2-volume set is outstanding.

>1 CapybaraMan:

The 1950 LEC is a great bargain. Depending on what your tolerance is for wear and tear, you can probably find an early Gustave Dore edition of Don Quixote. I don't own any Dore Don Quixote edition myself, but his other early illustrated gift editions like Paradise Lost or Idylls of the King appear to have been done letterpress so you're getting at least some of the quality you'd expect from a fine press. Honestly I can't recall a bad fine press or illustrated edition of Don Quixote. Even random editions I've seen at auction all seem to have at least charming illustrations.

The Folio Society also did another very nice limited edition that should be available on the secondary market within yoiur price range.
See https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/49211853872/in/photolist-2hYFBDb

I concur with >5 wcarter: and the LEC recommendations. The Folio Society edition is excellent BUT, it is the Smollett translation which takes some getting used to. I briefly owned it and jettisoned it for the splurge of all splurges (for my means anyway), the Arion edition.

Thank you all for the suggestions! The LEC editions look quite good! There's a few on Ebay that are well within my price range so I'll probably end up seeing if I can pick up a copy of one of the 1950 editions. Nice to know that there's so many options available for one of my favorite novels. I look forward to picking one up and adding it to the bookshelf!

I’m currently reading the 1933 LEC edition, and very much enjoying everything about it (save the mechanical aspect of the binding, which seems a bit perfunctory, as compared to the rest of the production): paper, printing, illustrations and the Ormsby translation.

There's also the 1930 Nonesuch Press edition. Many would rule it out because of its Motteux translation. But it has a nice combination of type design, illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer, and full leather binding.

For the Grossman translation, are there actual paragraphs? I've read about halfway through the smollet and there doesn't seem to be any separation between paragraphs at all.

>10 trentsteel:
I have the Grossman trade edition. She has paragraphs and also footnotes — not so many as to be intrusive but enough to provide background. I like it a lot.

If there is a fine press edition of Grossman, be careful. Some fine presses inexplicably remove footnotes that make the text understandable to 21st century readers.

>11 jroger1: “If there is a fine press edition of Grossman, be careful. Some fine presses inexplicably remove footnotes that make the text understandable to 21st century readers.”

The Arion Press edition includes the footnotes.

>3 dlphcoracl: I will add my praise to the 1933 LEC edition. It is one of my favorite printings of the work, and my second favorite translation (right behind Grossman). The paper used is one of the finest in my collection; it was likely far more expensive than Macy could have afforded at that time based on economic fundamentals, and I believe was only possible due to subsidy from the Spanish government as a cultural product. The illustrations are also, to my eye, excellent, probably only bested by Doré (which have not been featured in a fine press edition, to my knowledge).

>8 kermaier: "the mechanical aspect of the binding, which seems a bit perfunctory"

I actually find the binding to be excellent, extremely well executed on my copy. There is no text block sag at all despite the great weight of pages. I would be curious what you mean by mechanical and perfunctory, as I have often used this set as an example when discussing the practical benefits in book construction of a properly rounded spine and high-quality paper.

>1 CapybaraMan: If you really want to cover your bases, you might want to consider this :)

I have the 1933 two volume Don Quixote and it's one of my favourite LEC titles.

>13 abysswalker: I'm referring to the means by which the text block is attached to the boards. I haven't pulled it apart, of course, but it looks to me that a sheet of mull was glued to the spine of the text block, and the edges of that mull glued the boards under the paste-downs. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but with such a weight, I was hoping the signatures would be sewn onto tapes, or something similar. (Or, possibly, the spine of the text block is attached to the mull by something more substantial than glue, but that isn't visible externally.)

>16 kermaier: My expectation would be precisely what you have observed. The mull is glued to the endpapers before the case is applied. The spine has likely been lined with paper over the mull. This is pretty much the case for LEC books made or bound in the US. The 1930 Grabhorn/LEC Robinson Crusoe is mull only (the spine is lined with cloth over the mull). Now, the 1932 Four Gospels is sewn on tapes as well as lined with mull, but that was made in Germany and not so surprising, as the Germans tended to do that. The 1933 Don Quixote, although printed in Spain, was bound in New York, so I am not at all surprised to see mull only. LEC books, although well designed and printed, had what I consider fancy trade bindings, by and large, so mull only is to be expected.

>17 Glacierman: Ah, I see -- that makes some sense. There seems to have been little correspondence between where a given book was printed and where it was bound. I'm beginning to suspect that many/most were bound in the USA, even if printed elsewhere, even among LEC books of a similar vintage.
For example:
Homer (1931) was printed by Enschede in Holland, mull binding.
Aesop (1933) was printed by Oxford University in England, sewn on tapes.
Utopia (1934) was printed by Rudge in the USA, mull binding.

Edit: And those last 2 were both Bruce Rogers productions, and both bound in quarter vellum over paper-covered boards -- go figure....

The excellent London book dealer Peter Harrington has a couple of nice examples of well printed editions of Don Quixote. One from Constable and Company Ltd from 1922, and one from Nonesuch Press printed in 1930. Many other examples on AbeBooks as well.

>19 dpbbooks: the 1922 Constable and Co edition is lovely (illustrated by Bosschere in the decadent style). Note that it is only volume 1, and an abridgement (though lightly done). I have a copy mostly for the illustrations, and to occasionally dip into the Shelton translation.

Another point to mention is that for the more expensive copies of this edition, you are generally paying through the nose for the binding. Which is fine if you collect bindings, but if you don't there are alternatives so keep your eyes open. I purchased my copy of this edition (same text block) for less than $50 USD with a slightly worn full cloth binding. Compare to Mr. Harrington's copy at 650 GBP. (It is admittedly a beautiful binding, in nice condition.)

>16 kermaier: I see; yes, I believe my copy is cased in a similar manner. It is, however, quite solid.

For those who have both the 1933 LEC edition and the Arion Press edition, which do you prefer?

I have Cassell first printing, two volumes Gustave Dore illustrated Don Quixote. I had LEC edition and sold it to get above version. Did not like LEC book, but this was my personal preference

>22 ultrarightist: I haven't spent time with the Arion Press version but I have two copies of the 1933 LEC. The paper and printing still look and feel as new and I suspect they still will in another 100 years.

There are several 1933 LEC DQs for sale at around 1/8 of the price (or less) of the AP DQ.

EDIT: >1 CapybaraMan: "One book that I truly love is Don Quixote and would love to have a version that I could treasure for decades to come."

The LEC certainly fits that description at well under $1000. A vialibri search shows 8 for sale within $425 - $625. Externally, they won't be perfect. I didn't look at any of the individual posts but I suspect the internals will be Fine in at least one of them if not most.

If this is a translation you enjoy, the book is a treasure.

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=Don+Quixote&publisher=Limited+Editio...

>1 CapybaraMan: The Ashendene Press produced a magnificent folio-sized two volume edition of "Don Quixote" in 1927-28. It's beyond your desired price range, but it is one of the finest books of the twentieth century. It does not come on the market or up at auction often.

>25 Sport1963: https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=Don+Quixote&all_text=Ashendene&s...

But you can purchase a leaf for a fairly reasonable price.

>25 Sport1963: probably the greatest printing of Don Quixote that I have seen, but unfortunately the Shelton translation.

A copy just sold at auction about a month ago for 5355 USD, including buyer's premium.

Another sold in March 2021 for 4462 GBP.

Thank you so much for all of the feedback! There are certainly many more fine print editions of Don Quixote than I had originally found in my brief searching. It's nice to see one of my favorite books have so many fantastic options to choose from!

I ended up picking up a copy of the 1950 LEC edition since I was able to get a set for what looked like a very nice deal. I preferred the art of this one over the 1933 edition but if I end up liking the quality of the book and the translation (it'll be my first time reading Ormsby) then I may end up double-dipping for that one as well! Thank you all again and I look forward to discussing and exploring more about the world of fine press!

I have, in the past, compared Ormsby's and Grossman's translations and notes, and my preference -- by far -- is Ormsby. I own both versions.

>29 booksforreading: Same here: I abandoned Grossman in the middle, and I'm currently reading Ormsby in the LEC 1933 edition -- much more enjoyable!

Remind me who the translator is for the 1950 LEC. Is it Ormsby like the 1933? Note I did try to find the info in the other DQ topics before asking but...

>31 jveezer: Yes, Ormsby was translator for both.

Both are Ormsby translations. Ormsby also did the introduction in the 1933 edition, but Irwin Edman provided the introduction to the 1950 edition. Ricart did the illustrations for the 1933 edition, and Legrand illustrated the 1950 edition.

https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2021/07/17/heritage-press-don-quixote-by...

>27 abysswalker: I found Shelton's translation hilarious in places. For example, reading Volume I when poor Sancho has to let it rip while atop Dapple in ingeniously descriptive Elizabethean English is a hoot. Ormsby pretty much elides most of that particular episode. I guess I have a soft spot for scatalogical humor that has stayed with me since kindergarten.

My French is way to elementary to be able to read this but I'm tempted nonetheless for the illustrations. (My French might be just good enough to know this isn't "fine press" per my definition. I don't know if the language has it's own terms for offset printing but I assume that's what this is). I probably have enough editions of DQ...

https://editionsdianedeselliers.com/boutique/la-collection/don-quichotte-de-cerv...

>35 jveezer: I only have one title from Diane de Selliers but it turned out to be printed on a rather nasty calendared paper, so I never bothered with others. I’m not sure what paper this edition is on but it would be worth confirming before a purchase.

>1 CapybaraMan: I’ll mirror what several have already suggested - both LEC editions are wonderful productions. However, the 1933 edition takes the crown for me - I’ve both. The paper is handmade and it has the charming qualities you’d expect. I hope to have it rebound as this is its only shortcoming.

Not a fine press, but the Easton Press DLE (Deluxe Limited Edition) includes all the 120 Dore illustrations and it is a large volume! Very nicely bound as well. It's out of print now, but can be found for "decent" prices on the second-hand market.
https://www.eastonpress.com/all-categories/deluxe-limited-editions/gustave-dores...

They also released the Edith Grossman translation with beautiful specially commissioned illustrations and it's signed by the artist. In stock
https://www.eastonpress.com/deluxe-editions/don-quixote-3774.html

>38 astropi: LE should have broken DQ into two volumes. I could sail from CA to HI on that thing. ;)