Complete and unabridged, in the memorable Walter Starkie translation, this is the epic tale of Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza. Their picaresque adventures in the world of sixteenth-century Spain form the basis of one of the great treasures of Western literature - a book that is both an immortal satire on an outdated chivalric code and a biting portrayal of an age in which nobility can be a form of madness. Imbued with superb comedy and irony, Don Quixote stands as a testament to the author's rich artistry. It is, as Walter Starkie writes, "the first modern novel in the world, created out of a life of disillusion, privation, and poverty by a maimed ex-soldier...whose noble nature and gentle sense of humourous tolerance taught him that life is an unending dialogue between a knight of the spirit who is ever striving to soar aloft, and a squire who clings to his master and strives with might and main to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground."