Publication of this new encyclopedia on Miguel Cervantes could hardly be timelier as students of European literature prepare to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Don Quixote in 2005. Although by no means Cervantes' first literary work – he was almost 50 years old when Don Quixote was published – the history of Cervantes' ingenious nobleman is widely recognised as the forerunner of the novel as we know it today.
In spring 2002 a poll of 100 writers worldwide conducted by the Norwegian Book Club declared Don Quixote the greatest literary work of all time. Moreover, a survey undertaken in 1988 by this reviewer of the borrowing registers of the Advocates Library in Edinburgh (now the National Library of Scotland) showed that the most requested book by members of the Faculty of Advocates in the 18th century was not the latest treatise on the law, but Cervantes' account of the adventures of Don Quixote, albeit in a French translation. Indeed, so popular was the work with the honourable members of the Faculty that one of their number eventually “forgot” to return it to the library shelves.
Howard Mancing, author of the present work, is Professor of Spanish at Purdue University. His previous books include The Chivalric World of Don Quixote (1982) and Text, Theory and Performance: Golden Age Comedia Studies (1994). He is also the author of numerous articles in journals such as PMLA, Modern Fiction Studies, Kentucky Romance Quarterly and College Literature. The present work is proof, if proof be required, of Professor Mancing's deep interest in his subject. Mancing explains that the goal of his encyclopedia is to place Miguel de Cervantes and his works in a series of contexts: historical, cultural, personal, literary, critical, textual, and intertextual. The work is intended for all readers of Cervantes' works, whether they read in Spanish or in English. Mancing's aim has been for comprehensiveness although he recognises that it is not possible to include everything.
The encyclopedia includes brief commentaries on all known works written by Cervantes together with a detailed plot summary of each, a description of the characters, place names and items of interest in Cervantes' works, an explanation of literary and historical allusions, and the influence of Cervantes' work on other writers. The encyclopedia includes a useful chronology of Cervantes' life and a select bibliography which includes recent editions and translations of his publications, as well as a list of recent critical studies. References to more specialised critical studies are to be found in the main body of the encyclopedia with their respective subject entries.
Given the importance of Cervantes' literary creation it is no small surprise that a similar encyclopedia appeared in Spain in 1999 devoted more particularly to the volumes of Don Quixote (Vidal, 1999). The two encyclopedias are similar in a number of respects: both include a summary of the plot of Don Quixote and discussions of the main characters, subjects and events covered by the novel. The Spanish publication, however, includes a more general chronology which allows the reader to view Cervantes' life and work in the historical context of the age. It also devotes an entire section to the many refranes or proverbs which represent a significant element in Cervantes' work. There is also an extensive bibliography for the serious student.
Nevertheless, Professor Mancing and his publishers are to be congratulated on an encyclopedia which is clearly laid out and a delight to browse. The attractively illustrated covers depicting Cervantes' knight astride his charger, Dulcinea, and the windmills of La Mancha encourage the reader to delve into this treasure house of information. At £86 the encyclopedia is clearly aimed at university and college libraries. It deserves a place too on the shelves of the large general reference library as well as the library of the serious academic. Truly a significant volume to mark the 400th anniversary of the adventures of the ingenious nobleman and his manservant on the plains of La Mancha!
