"Upon his 1829 arrival in Granada, Spain, American author Washington Irving was immediately charmed by the city's beauty and picturesque qualities. While researching a book on the conquest of Granada, he gained access to the Alhambra Palace, which had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect. Irving became a guest at the ancient fortress, where he found himself in the company of several colorful inhabitants. During his sojourn, the writer became...

Don Quixote chronicles the famous picaresque adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote de La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. This Modern Library edition presents the acclaimed Samuel Putnam translation of the epic tale, complete with notes, variant readings, and an Introduction by the translator." Don Quixote is practically unthinkable as a living being," said novelist Milan Kundera....

Set in 14th century Barcelona, the 80-year construction of the Church of Santa Maria affects the lives of the citizens, those who devoted their lives to building it, and those who were sheltered there.

The epic tale of an eccentric country gentleman and his companion who set out as a knight and squire of old to right wrongs and punish evil in sixteenth-century Spain.

The story follows the adventures of a noble (hidalgo) named Alonso Quixano who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity and decides to become a knight-errant (caballero andante), reviving chivalry and serving his country, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthy wit in dealing with Don Quixote's rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood....