[CERVANTES, MIGUEL DE]. The History of Don Quixote. The text edited by J. W. Clarke, M.A., fellow of Trinity College Cambridge. And a biographical notice of Cervantes by T. Teignmouth Shore, M.A. Illustrated by Gustav Doré. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, n.d. [circa 1880].
Hardcover. First Edition. Leather-bound. Thick folio (310 x 240 mm), pp. [xxviii], 737. English text. Exquisitely bound in contemporary full calf leather (unsigned but clearly produced by an important bindery). Five raised spine bands, the compartments and bands fully ruled, tooled and lettered in gilt, with brown morocco lettering-piece in second compartment. Elaborate gilt ruled and tooled panelled frames to boards. Board edges gilt. Marbled page edges, pastedowns and endpapers. 118 magnificent full-page black and white illustrations including a frontispiece, plus numerous additional smaller illustrations in-the-text and as chapter head- and tail-pieces, all by Gustav Dore and engraved by H. Pisan, S. Pannemaker and J. Huyot. Title-page in red and black. Edited by J. W. Clark; biographical notice of Cervantes by T. Teignmouth Shore. The text is the translation of Jarvis (first published 1742), with occasional corrections from Motteaux. Doré's illustrations first appeared in a French translations of Don Quixote. 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. Gustave Doré was one of the greatest illustrators of his day. His facility and output as a draughtsman was extraordinary and his grand and magnificent style is a perfect complement for this heroic tale by Cervantes.
Condition: NEAR FINE. Collated complete. Binding tight and secure. Covers very well preserved. Contents largely very clean with intermittent very light foxing affecting just a few leaves. Without inking or bookplates. An unusually handsome copy in this very special fine binding - very scarce in such well preserved condition.
