From the collection of the George Peabody Library
Collection number: P863.32 D6 1738
Remarkable in some ways was the fact that Spanish language editions were
also printed abroad in great numbers, pointing out that readers of
Spanish--whether Spaniards living outside Spain
or non-Spaniards who claimed expertise in the language--could consult
"corrected" versions of the novel and/or engage in scholarly
debates about Cervantes' language and
culture. The most expensively produced Spanish version--the "Tonson
Edition"--was published by Lord Carteret for Queen Caroline of
England. Printed in London in 1738 with an extensive series of engravings
by J. Vanderbank, sales of this edition were never expected to off-set
production costs. Expenses were underwritten by the Countess Montijo, wife
of the Spanish ambassador to the Court of St. James, in an effort to
publicize Cervantes' text in the original.
This edition also included for the first time an essay by "Dr. Juan
Oldfield" explaining the allegorical significance of the various
engravings.
