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136 of 141 people found the following review helpful. Two Good; Free "Quixote" Kindle OptionsBy Pop BopTheres only one original "Quixote"; but there are literally dozens of translations; and an almost infinite number of commentaries about the quality; integrity and appeal of those various translations. But; if you would just like to sit down with a readable and fairly mainstream version there are two free Kindle volumes that offer you a happy choice.The four "major" translations that are referenced over and over again are by Smollett; Grossman; Putnam; and Raffel. (There are roughly a dozen "minor" but well known and vigorously defended or reviled others.) But; the first translation; which was published in 1612; within just seven years of the release of "Quixote" itself; was by Thomas Shelton. The most popular translation after that; until the "modern" era; was Ormsbys 1885 version.Happily; Kindle offers a free copy of Ormsbys version. It also offers a kindleunlimited; (and sometimes free as a promotion); copy of Gerald Davis reworking of the Shelton version.Some people favor Raffel; (although faulted for being too oversimplified); or Putnam; (faulted for being too colloquial). Grossman is the most modern; but is frequently criticized for taking great liberties and being almost purposefully prolix and obscure. Of course; each translator brought his or her own sense of style; and own sense of the work; to the project; and all of them felt fairly free to put their own authorial stamp on the book. Ormsby is highly regarded because of his scholarly effort to achieve "accuracy". The Davis book is highly regarded; although sometimes relegated to a niche position; because of the translators attempt to find a middle ground between the Shelton original and a modern readers sensibilities.This Kindle Ormsby is the 1885 version; not the Norton update of 1981. But thats fine; since the update modernized some language but didnt change the text dramatically. As a bare public domain version you dont get notes; footnotes; modern annotations and the like. You do; however; get the full text; include Ormsbys analysis of prior translations. The book is formatted well enough and has a basic table of contents. It is readable; if unadorned.The Kindleunlimited Davis is also barebones; although there is a nice preface by Davis. Again; the formatting and type editing is fine and unfussy. It is also perfectly readable.I prefer the Davis version; but that really is a matter of personal taste. It is nice to be able to suggest that not only are these two freebies adequate; they do indeed have an honorable place amongst all of the best translations. As a consequence you do not have to lower your standards; or accept an inferior translation; when selecting one of these freebies as your text of choice.Surprisingly; each Kindle version can be augmented; for a few dollars; with Audible Narration. The Ormsby narration is a bit more energetic; the Davis narration is more solemn. I only sampled them; but both seemed fairly engaging.Please note; because there are so many editions of each and all of these books; and because is not at its best when mixing and matching books; editions; and reviews; its important to mention which books this review refers to. The kindleunlimited Davis displays a white cover and a pencil or engraved image of Don Quixote framed in yellow. It clearly states that it is "The New Translation By Gerald J. Davis". The free Ormsby sports the generic public domain cover; in brown and buff. Dont mistakenly buy some expensive "collectible" mass market copy; unless thats what you want.11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. yes; "translation" really matters...By Poppy JonesMy husband recently decided he wanted to read "Don Quixote"; but because he did not have the inclination to learn Spanish; I went to work trying to find the best translation. And (wow!) the vigor of the "battle over translations" was fascinating in itself.While Im in no position to claim this is the "best"; I am qualified to say that Samuel Putnams translation for Modern Librarys 1949 issue is truly elegant pays high tribute to Cervantes masterpiece; so buy it with confidence if you can find it. Happily I was able to find a lovely copy through for a very moderate price (dare I say "a steal"?) So; if you once got discouraged trying to "slog your way" through "Don Quixote" (wondering how this book could have "thrilled the world" for centuries); blame the translation. Seems there are lots of "bad" ones out there. Good translations require a love of the language and a love of the "soaring spirit" that was Cervantes.110 of 113 people found the following review helpful. Arguably the best all-around translation of the best novelBy Penn NaimeThis review is for the Norton Critical Edition published in 1981; edited by Jones and Douglas.Two modern translations of Don Quixote; those by Raffel (the newer Norton Critical Edition) and Grossman (the perennial bestseller); seem to dominate the market right now. I suspect I am not alone in being annoyed by Raffels overzealous attempts to modernize the book and Grossmans stubborn refusal to use common words whenever possible. If you are looking for a compromise between the two; this is an excellent candidate.This is a revision of the 1885 translation by Ormsby; who produced arguably the most accurate English translation of the book. The editors updated some of the language and added copious footnotes. The text reads very well; almost as well as Raffels version; but also retains some of the features of the novel that have been lost in modern translations. Notably; Don Quixote takes great pleasure in using outdated language (e.g.; "thou;" "giveth"); even though the ordinary people he encounters dont understand his speeches. More recent translations have largely done away with this; simply conveying Don Quixote as being long-winded and overly descriptive; and always being met with dumbfounded reactions. Here you truly experience Don Quixote speaking like someone from a different generation than the rest of the characters.Where Raffel translates Don Quixotes nickname as "the Knight of the Sad Face" and Grossman uses "the Knight of the Sorrowful Face;" this edition uses the classic "Knight of the Mournful Countenance." Maybe not such a big deal; but it strikes me as disingenuous to use the emoticon-like "sad face" to describe what Sancho meant to refer to Don Quixotes worn-out; gaunt appearance.Out of the translations Ive read; this one contains none of the encumbrances Ive found in Raffel (oversimplified); Grossman (pretentious); Smollett (archaic); Rutherford (reliant on British slang); Putnam (tastes like the 1950s); Montgomery (riddled with errors); Motteux (censored) or Lathrop (not as evocative). (I have yet to read Starkies version.)This is the edition of my favorite novel that I will always turn to; and I recommend it without hesitation. In my opinion; although Raffel has made the text more accessible; and Grossman has made it more artsy; the crown still belongs to the older Norton Edition for a wonderfully executed balancing act of accuracy and emotion.