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The wealthy Alonso Quixano enjoys a fantastic adventure story. Actually, he spends all of his nights and days reading books about medieval knights and their dragon-slaying, princess-saving journeys. One day, however, this man's brain totally snaps and he decides to dress up in a dusty suit of armor and then ride around the countryside looking for adventures.

Sound crazy? Well, that is sort of the point.

When Part 1 of Don Quixote was first published in 1605, it was an instantaneous hit. In reality, people may have enjoyed the book a bit too much, because a few unscrupulous jerk decided to write a sequel to the first Don Quixote... without Cervantes's permission. In reality, some critics speculate that Cervantes may not have even composed his sequel if it were not for the upstart knock-off artist.

So yeah, when you're thinking about how unnaturally long this book is, you could thank that dude who wrote Don Quixote fan fic back into the 17th century.

In case the text of Don Quixote actually strutted into an office and applied for a job, its own résumé would incorporate a few noteworthy entrances. For starters, the book is considered by many to be the very first example of the contemporary novel. On top of this, most concur that it is the most essential work of literature to ever come from Spain. Aw, what the hell, let us go ahead and state that it just may be the best book ever written.

You think we are exaggerating? Well, according to a 2002 survey of 100 famous authors from 54 states, Don Quixote really is (ahem) "the best book of all time". And it is nothing like the thing was being piled up against helpless competition.

It is not surprising that Don Quixote has obtained this sort of support.

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