Don Quixote by Cervantes

The considerable sum of 504 thousand euros was paid at auction last Wednesday for two volumes of "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. The first volume was from the third edition from 1615, and the second from the first edition from 1608. The first edition of "Novelas ejemplares" ( Exemplary Novels ) from 1613 was also sold, reaching the price of 403 thousand euros.

Although the books were auctioned in Paris, they came from the collection of Jorge Ortiz Linares, a Bolivian diplomat and collector, and the son-in-law of Simón Patiño, a Bolivian tin magnate. They were purchased in London in the 1930s.

The copy of Cervantes' book purchased at auction came from England, where it was bound in the late 17th century. Several decades later, it was the pride of the collection of the 18th-century bibliophile and politician Beilby Thompson. It remained in his family until the last century.

A Sotheby's expert has deemed the auctioned copy of "Don Quixote" to be one of the rarest and best-preserved to appear on the market in decades. "The 1608 edition is the last one that was checked and corrected by Cervantes. It's a good version of the text. It's almost a miracle to find such a valuable book that hasn't been on the market for over 70 years. And for this book to be in one of the best possible combinations that you can dream of. Having both texts in a similar binding - even if it's not the first edition of the first part - makes it a kind of blue chip," said Jean-Baptiste de Proyart.