The Spectator Vol. 1-3, 1883 by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, Henry Morley - 1883

1883. Very Good. The Spectator Introduction, notes, and index by Henry Morley Date: 1883, originally published from 1711-1712 All Three Volumes of a Three Volume Set Size and Page Count: 5.5 X 7.25 Tall, approx. 2151 total pages Published by: George Routledge and Sons Condition: Very good, Half leather bound with marble boards, flaking on edges of covers, some uncut pages, end-pages with signatures and markings, small tears on end-page in first edition, but otherwise text in pristine condition. Contents: The Spectator was widely read by people from the 18th and 19th centuries. These papers influenced many leaders during those ages and was found in the libraries of legendary men such as George Washington, John Hancock, Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Adam Smith, and even C.S. Lewis in the 20th century.

The Spectator was a daily publication founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School; it lasted from 1711 to 1712. Each paper , or number , was approximately 2,500 words long, and 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. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. -Wikipedia The stated goal of The Spectator was to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality...to bring philosophy out of the closets and libraries, schools and colleges, to dwell in clubs and assemblies, at tea-tables and coffeehouses (No. 10). It recommended that its readers consider it part of the tea-equipage (No. 10) and not leave the house without reading it in the morning. One of its functions was to provide readers with educated, topical talking points, and advice in how to carry on conversations and social interactions in a polite manner. In keeping with the values of Enlightenment philosophies of their time, the authors of The Spectator promoted family, marriage, and courtesy. -Wikipedia

Addison's reputation as an essayist has surpassed that of Steele, but their individual contributions to the success of The Spectator are less to the point than their collaborative efforts: Steele s friendly tone was a perfect balance and support for the more dispassionate style of Addison. Their joint achievement was to lift serious discussion from the realms of religious and political partisanship and to make it instead a normal pastime of the leisured class. Together they set the pattern and established the vogue for the periodical throughout the rest of the century and helped to create a receptive public for the novelists, ensuring that the new kind of prose writing however entertaining should be essentially serious.- Encyclopaedia Britannica