Getting Your Hands on Don Quijote De La Mancha Edebe
Edebe is one of the more straightforward Turkish publishers when it comes to classic literature reissues. They print Don Quixote in the original Spanish with Turkish annotations, which is useful if you're studying the language or just want a readable edition without too much scholarly clutter. The bindings are decent for the price point, and the paper quality won't fade after a few months on your shelf. The Edebe edition I usually recommend is their 2018 reprint of the Rubén Romero translation. It runs about 860 pages in a softcover format roughly 13 by 21 centimeters. The ISBN is 978-605-9406-33-7. You can find it on Ithaki.com, D&R, or directly from their website at edebe.com.tr. Pricing sits around 85 to 110 Turkish lira depending on the retailer and whether there's a current discount running. I picked up three copies over the years for different people. One thing worth noting is that the 2018 printing had a margin issue on pages 412 through 430 where the text ran a bit close to the gutter. Not enough to lose words, but tight enough that you have to flatten the book fully when reading those sections. The 2020 reprint fixed this, so if you're buying new, look for the later printing date inside the front cover.
The annotations are minimal compared to things like the Cátedra or Planeta DeAgostini editions. You get brief footnotes on archaic vocabulary and occasional historical context callouts. That's either a strength or a weakness depending on what you need. If you're reading for pleasure in Spanish, the sparse notes won't interrupt your flow. If you're doing serious textual analysis, you'll want something more substantial alongside it. One edge case that caught me off guard: the Turkish translation sometimes renders certain Andalusian dialect passages in a way that flattens the regional flavor. For example, in Chapter 8 of Part One, the innkeeper's dialogue loses some of its rustic cadence in the Spanish original. The Turkish version smooths it over further. If you're bilingual, I'd read the Spanish and use the Turkish just for reference on difficult passages rather than relying on the translation alone. Availability outside Turkey is the real bottleneck. The book doesn't ship internationally from most retailers. I've had good luck ordering through bookstores that do overseas shipping, or using a forwarding service if you're in Europe. Amazon.es sometimes carries it through third-party sellers, but pricing gets inflated. At worst you're looking at 30 to 45 euros with shipping. Worth it if you can't find a library copy nearby, not worth it if you're just browsing.
There's also a hardcover version from Edebe's premium line. It uses better paper and a sewn binding instead of glued. The difference in durability is noticeable after a year of regular reading. If you plan to keep this on your shelf long term, the hardcover is the safer bet even though it costs roughly 40 percent more.
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