The Spectator (1891)

 Published by George Routledge, 1891,hardcover, index, 919 pages, condition; very good.

The Spectator  was a daily publication founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England, lasting 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. 

Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. His simple prose style marked the end of the mannerisms and conventional classical images of the seventeenth century.

The Spectator  had many readers in the American colonies. In particular, James Madison, 'father of the US constitution', and the fourth president, read the Spectator avidly. It is said to have had a major influence on his world view, lasting throughout his life (1751 - 1836). Benjamin Franklin was also a reader, and the Spectator influenced his style in his "Silence Dogood" letters.

Jürgen Habermas, philosopher, saw The Spectator as instrumental in the formation of the public sphere in 18th century England.. 

One of the great augustan periodicals defining British journalism, and comprised one of the most triumphant literary endeavours of the age, The Spectator  transformed periodical writing, in English.