Don Quixote is a part of English consciousness today. "Quixotic" is a synonym for a lovely but impossible goal. This collection takes a step back to show how this pervasive influence began and developed. Ardila (Hispanic Studies, University of Edinburgh) begins with essays on the early translations of Cervantes into English, which happened almost immediately after the 1605 publication of Part One. Most of the following articles look at the influence of Cervantes, both Don Quixote and The Exemplary Novels on writers from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. These include Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollett, George Elliot, Dickens and perhaps Milton and Defoe. Playwrights also drew on Cervantes' plots and quixotic characters including the famous team of Beaumont and Fletcher. This is an interesting look at the many ways in which Don Quixote and his creator have settled into English thought. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)