It started in a remote hamlet in southern Spain, when the town of Alhama decided to organize an exhibition to honor the 400th anniversary of the publication of the book many consider the first novel, “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes, and called on “local children to bring a copy from their parents’ collection.” What happened next seems to have left everyone in a state of shock: one child showed up with a first edition of the book. As an Agence France Presse wire story notes, “Only 18 are known to exist worldwide.” Experts are still examining the book, but one reports that it “contained several first edition characteristics,” such as a dedication including the phrase, “after the shadows I await the light.”