The Spectator
Complete 8 Volume Collection
Published by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in 1760
Signed Full Leather Custom Bindings by the Harcourt Bindery
FINE Condition
Binding Details: Signed custom bindings by the Harcourt Bindery, Charlestown, Massachusetts bound in full calf leather with raised bands to the spine, gold gilt title in a red leather tile, and gold gilt ruling. The Harcourt Bindery label appears on the bottom of the last free endpaper of each volume.
Book Details: Originally published daily from 1711 – 1714, this is the 1760 complete 8 volume collection printed by Hamilton, Balfour, & Neill. The Spectator was an influential daily periodical published jointly by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele with occasional contributions from other writers such as Alexander Pope, Thomas Tickell. Originally published daily from March 1711 to December 1712, Addison revived the publication without Steele, issuing it thrice weekly from June 1714. Valuable as social history, the papers provide an excellent commentary on the manners, morals, and literature of the day. The Spectator was supposedly written by members of a small club, representing figures of the British middle class: Sir Roger de Coverley (country gentry), Captain Sentry (military), Sir Andrew Freeport (commerce), Will Honeycomb (town), and Mr. Spectator himself. The Spectator had a tremendous influence on public opinion and gave great impetus to the growth of journalism and periodical writing.
Each volume measures approximately 6.75” x 4.25”.
Condition Report: The bindings are in FINE condition with superficial surface wear. Internally, the books are generally clean with moderate age toning and foxing to the text pages as well as darkening to the page ends. A neat signature of Nathaniel Lovejoy appears at the top of each title page.
A photograph of the bindings appears in the photo section of the listing.
