Widely regarded as the world`s first modern novel, & one of the funniest & most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the famous picaresque adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote de La Mancha & his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. The book is simultaneously a work whose authentic subject is literature & a chronicle of a hard, sordid actuality, the declining Spain of 1605-15. Confronting the conventions of Spanish society at his time some four hundred years ago, Miguel De Cervantes wittily & funnily exposes the follies of the time through the adventures, stories & misfortunes of these knight & servant.” The Spanish Bible”, as Miguel de Unamuno called it, Don Quixote is Cervantes`s subtle critique of a realm that had given him only harsh measures in return for his own patriotic heroism. His magnificent knight`s quest has cosmological scope & reverberation, making it the greatest of all narratives. This new edition claims to present the definite translation. Edith Grossman`s quality of diction & extraordinary prose marvellously highlights the spiritual atmosphere of a Spain already in steep decline. Also worth mentioning is the wonderful illustration by Pablo Picasso on the front cover.” Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance & ancient shield on a shelf & keeps a skinny nag & a greyhound for racing. [...] His fantasy filled with everything he had read in his books, enchantments as well as combats, battles, challenges, wounds, courtings, loves, torments, & other impossible foolishness, & he became so convinced in his imagination of the truth of all the countless grandiloquent & false inventions he read that for him no history in the world was truer.”
- Miguel De Cervantes
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Cervantes` tale of the deranged gentleman who turns knight-errant, tilts at windmills & battles with sheep in the service of the lady of his dreams, Dulcinea del Toboso, has fascinated generations of readers, & inspired other creative artists such as Flaubert, Picasso & Richard Strauss. The tall, thin knight & his short, fat squire, Sancho Panza, have found their way into films, cartoons & even computer games. Supposedly intended as a parody of the most popular escapist fiction of the day, the `books of chivalry`, this precursor of the modern novel broadened & deepened into a sophisticated, comic account of the contradictions of human nature. Cervantes` greatest work can be enjoyed on many levels, all suffused with a subtle irony that reaches out to encompass the reader. ...

Miguel de Cervantes`s mock-epic masterwork, ” Don Quixote” was voted the greatest book of all time by the Nobel Institute, & this ” Penguin Classics” edition is translated with an introduction & notes by John Rutherford. ” Don Quixote” has become so entranced by reading romances of chivalry that he determines to become a knight errant & pursue bold adventures, accompanied by his squire, the cunning Sancho Panza. As they roam the world together, the aging Quixote`s fancy leads them wildly astray, tilting at windmills, fighting with friars, & distorting the rural Spanish landscape into a fantasy of impenetrable fortresses & wicked sorcerers. At the same time the relationship between the two men grows in fascinating subtlety. Often considered to be the first modern novel, ” Don Quixote” is a wonderful burlesque of the popular literature its disordered protagonist is obsessed with. John Rutherford`s landmark translation does full justice to the energy & wit of Cervantes` prose, & this edition of ” Don Quixote” won the 2002 Premio Valle Inclan prize for translation. His introduction discusses the traditional works parodied in ” Don Quixote” & issues of literary translation. Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda`s (1547-1616) life was occupied with a struggle to earn a livelihood from literature & humble government employment. As well as ” Don Quixote”, he wrote a number of plays & a collection of highly accomplished short stories, ” Exemplary Tales” (1613). If you enjoyed ” Don Quixote”, you might like Homer`s ” Odyssey”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” John Rutherford makes ” Don Quixote” funny & readable.. . His Quixote can be pompous, imposingly learned, secretly fearful, mad & touching”. (Colin Burrow, ” The Times Literary Supplement”). ...

A reimagining of Don Quixote that champions another innovative classic for a new generation. This handsome edition of ” Don Quixote” brings the wonderfully bonkers, truly innovative, & still very much culturally relevant Spanish classic to a modern, visually appreciative, literary & design audience, championing the book for its progressive meta-story narrative & celebrating it as a contemporary cultural object. Designed by the award-winning designer Fraser Muggeridge, this volume

Includes:: photographs by recent Royal College of Art graduate Jacob Robinson, specially commissioned to metaphorically trace & visually interpret the journey of Don Quixote in a fresh contemporary way through vibrant, expansive, & dynamic-in-scale landscapes. Bringing another entry point to the classic narrative, the photos also invite new interpretations, both romantic & realistic.

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The Vintage Classics Europeans series
- with covers provided by textile design firm Wallace Sewell, these are must-have editions
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Don't forget your scroggin is a breath of fresh air. New Zealand's wilderness offers some of the most beautiful & diverse walking on Earth
- from the snowy peaks of the Southern Alps to the enchanting forest of Waikaremoana. Exploring this wonderland on foot is one of the most rewarding & uplifting activities you can do. Want to get out here but don't know how? We've packed up all the basics for you, & rolled them up together with some expert advice & a few ripping yarns. Whether you're starting out or getting ready for the next step, we want to share our experience with you, so your journey will be comfortable, safe & fun. Let us show you how you can enjoy it as much as we do. This highly approachable, informative & enjoyable guide is the perfect starting point for anyone who would like to give tramping a go.
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This entertaining publication takes all those by the hand who are curious about the diversity of communication. Two foreign correspondents have gathered everyday hand gestures from around 50 countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe. The results, beautifully captured in nearly 80 colour photographs, are often amusing & always instructive. With its original design, stunning finish & handy format, ' Don't Get Me Wrong!' makes for a cool & compact travel companion. Beautifully designed by a team of award-winning art book designers, the gestures from around 50 countries were researched & collected by two well-travelled journalists. ...

This is a memoir of war-torn colonial Africa in the 1970s, when a schoolgirl was as likely to carry a shotgun as a satchel. Alexandra Fuller was two in 1971, the year her parents abandoned their life in England & returned to what was then Rhodesia, & to the beginning of a bloody civil war. While her father was away for long stretches, fighting for Ian Smith's government, her mother worked the family farm with a passionate determination fuelled by a ferocious love for Africa. This is the story of one family's quixotic battle against the ravages of nature & the pain of bereavement, & of their unbreakable bond with the continent which defined, shaped, scarred & healed them. At times hilarious & tragic, Fuller renders her childhood in wonderful prose against the background of far larger historical events. ...

In Africa only food runs...and there's nothing you can outrun! In the tradition of Bill Bryson, a new writer brings us the lively adventures & wit of an African safari guide. Despite that fact that I had none of the qualities you would expect of a rugged bush man...I'm markedly uncoordinated, can't repair vehicles or understand how they work, I don't like guns, & sweat profusely when nervous or excited..which is exactly how watching animals makes me feel, Peter Allison works as a top safari guide in the Okavango Delta. In this oasis of wetland in the middle of the Kalahari desert, rich with wildlife, he caters to the whims of his wealthy clients, he often has to overcome the impulse to run as far away from them as he can, as these tourists are sometimes more dangerous than a pride of lions! Full of outrageous-but-true tales of the people & animals he has encountered
- the half-naked missing member of the British royal family; the squirrel that overdosed on malaria pills; the monkeys with an underwear fetish; & last, but by no means least, Spielberg the video-obsessed Japanese tourist
- Allison's hilarious stories reveal his good-natured scorn for himself, as well as others. Allison's humour is exceeded only by his love & respect for the animals, & his goal is to limit any negative exposure by planning trips that are minimally invasive
- unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way, as he & his clients discover to their cost when they find themselves up to their necks in a hippo-infested watering hole! Full of essential wisdom like Don't run, whatever you do & never stand behind a frightened zebra (they are prone to explosive flatulence when scared!), this is a wonderful & vivid portrait of what the life of a safari guide is really like.


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Dona Nicanora is a woman led by her dreams. She imagines adventures far beyond her small, swampy South American village, & ideally quite far away from her relentless family & neighbours. It`s quite simple: what she needs is the love of a good man, & a shop full of her own beautifully handcrafted hats. But Nicanora`s life is never quite straightforward. & from the day an entirely silent stranger arrives in Villa de la Virgen, strange happenings occur, & Dona Nicanora`s world is turned on its head. Here is a bittersweet tale of hopes frustrated & fulfilled, with an irresistible love story at its heart. ...