Don Juan Volume the First

Alfred Thornton

Published by Thomas Kelly, London, 1821

About this Item

A scarce copy of the first edition of Alfred Thornton's retelling of the tale of Don Juan. Illustrated with thirteen coloured plates (collated, missing two). The first volume is satirical, and parodies the Don Juan of Mozart and Byron. Don Juan (Spanish), Don Giovanni (Italian) is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630. Evidence suggests it is the first written version of the Don Juan legend. Although the various iterations of the Don Juan myth show some variation, the basic storyline remains the same. Starting with Tirso's work, Don Juan is portrayed as a wealthy, seductive libertine who devotes his life to seducing women, taking great pride in his ability to seduce women of all ages and stations in life. His life is also punctuated with violence and gambling, and in many interpretations (Tirso, Espronceda, Zorrilla), he kills Don Gonzalo, the father of a girl he has seduced, Doņa Ana. This leads to the famous last supper scene, whereby Don Juan invites the dead father to dinner. One volume of two only. In a contemporary diced calf binding. Externally, rubbed, with some bumping, and wear to the head and tail of the spine. Some ink spills to the boards also. Front hinge has failed, and rear hinge is very tender. Front endpapers missing. Internally, generally firmly bound although strained in places. Pages are bright, though with some scattered instances of foxing, and some handling marks. Good Only.

Seller Inventory # LTH4-C-30

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Don Juan Volume the First
• Publisher: Thomas Kelly, London
• Publication Date: 1821
• Binding: Leather
• Illustrator: None
• Condition: Good Only
• Weight: 1 kilogram
• Book Type: book