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Bound in full calf, leather gilt-blocked labels on spine. The Guardian was a short-lived newspaper published in London from (No. 1) on March 12 to (No. 175) on October 1, 1713. These two volumes contain all of the issues of the "Guardian." It was founded by Richard Steele and featured contributions from Joseph Addison, Thomas Tickell, Alexander Pope and Ambrose Philips. Steele and Addison had previously collaborated on the Tatler and The Spectator (not related to the present-day Spectator or Tatler). "Joseph Addison and Richard Steele are generally regarded as the most significant figures in the development of the eighteenth-century periodical. Together they produced three publications: the "Tatler" (1709-11), the "Specator" (1711-12), and the "Guardian" (1713). In addition, Addison published the "Free-Holder" (1715-16), and Steele, who had been the editor of the "London Gazette" (the former "Oxford Gazette") from 1707 to 1710, produced a number of other periodicals, including the "Englishman" (1713-14), "Town-Talk" (1715-16), and the "Plebeian" (1719). The three periodicals Addison and Steele produced together were great successes; none ceased publication because of poor sales or other financial reasons, but by the choice of their editors. Periodicals in the eighteenth century included social and moral commentary, and literary and dramatic criticism, as well as short literary works. They also saw the advent of serialized stories, which Charles Dickens, among others, would later perfect. One of the most important outgrowths of the eighteenth-century periodical, however, was the topical, or periodical, essay. Although novelist Daniel Defoe made some contributions to its evolution with his Review of the Affairs of France (1704-13), Addison and Steele are credited with bringing the periodical essay to maturity. Appealing to an educated audience, the periodical essay as developed by Addison and Steele was not scholarly, but casual in tone, concise, and adaptable to a number of subjects, including daily life, ethics, religion, science, economics, and social and political issues. Another innovation brought about by the periodical was the publication of letters to the editor, which permitted an unprecedented degree of interaction between author and audience. Initially, correspondence to periodicals was presented in a limited, question-and-answer form of exchange. As used by Steele, letters to the editor brought new points of view into the periodical and created a sense of intimacy with the reader. The feature evolved into a forum for readers to express themselves, engage in a discussion on an important event or question, conduct a political debate, or ask advice on a personal situation. Addison and Steele and other editors of the eighteenth century saw their publications as performing an important social function and viewed themselves as moral instructors and arbiters of taste. In part these moralizing and didactic purposes were accomplished through the creation of an editorial voice or persona, such as Isaac Bickerstaff in the Tatler, Nestor Ironside in the Guardian, and, most importantly, Mr. Spectator in the Specator. Through witty, sometimes satirical observations of the contemporary scene, these fictional stand-ins for the editors attempted to castigate vice and promote virtue." - "Introduction" Literary Criticism (1400-1800) Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg. Vol. 63. Gale Cengage 2001. VERY GOOD. Parson's Select British Classics Series. Vol. 22-23. 16mo 6" - 7" tall.
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