The Spectator; with A Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes (Four Volumes in Two)

Steele, Richard, Addison, Joseph & others

Published by Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, London, 1860

About this Item

1860. Reprint, with biographical and critical preface and notes. Four volumes bound in two. xxxii (lacking half-title), 4 dedication pages (numbered iii-vi), 480pp., 522pp.; viii (lacking half-title), 5 dedication pages (numbered v-xix), 1 page note to the reader, 452pp., 498pp. The Spectator was a magazine published in London by the essayists Richard Steele and Joseph Addison from March 1711 to December 1712 and then revived in 1714 by Addison. Its aim was to "enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality," and adopted a fictional method of presentation through a "Spectator Club", whose imaginary members reflected the authors' own ideas about society. The papers were written by Mr. Spectator, an observer of the London scene. The original run consisted of 555 numbers, beginning on 1 March 1711. These were collected into seven volumes. The paper was revived without the involvement of Steele in 1714, appearing thrice weekly for six months, and these papers when collected formed the eighth volume (numbers 556 to 635). The books for sale are a four volume edition bound as two, containing all eight original volumes. The books are uniformly bound in contemporary half leather over purple cloth covered boards with gold titling on a leather label and four thin raised bands on the spines. The cases of the books are in very good condition with some expected shelf wear and light soiling to the cloth on the boards and some scuffing to the leather around the corner tips and the spine edges. The contents are tight and clean with some staining to the corners of the endpapers where colour has been taken from the binding. There is no inscription. PLEASE NOTE: These are heavy volumes and extra postage will be required for delivery outside the UK.

Seller Inventory # gVILit37

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Spectator; with A Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes (Four Volumes in Two)
• Publisher: Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, London
• Publication Date: 1860
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: Reprint
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • History
  • Literature