From the collection of the George Peabody Library
Collection number 863.32 D6 1787
Vincente de los Ríos fought aggresively to reclaim the novel from
foreign
publishers by emphasizing its essentially Spanish character,
and countered conservative Spanish critics who claimed that Cervantes' sole purpose was to parody the
romances of chivalry. The effort succeeded, at least in Spain. Less expensive versions of the Spanish
Academy's edition soon became available in 1782 and 1787, replacing other
editions of the novel and testifying to its popularity among a wider
reading public that could not afford the 1780 original.
