The Spectator 8 volumes in lovely contemporary morocco binding

ADDISON, Joseph, & Richard Steele. The Spectator. The eleventh edition. London :printed for J. Tonson, at Shakespear’s-Head, over-against Catharine-Street in the Strand, 1733.

A complete eight volume set of Joseph Addison and Richard Steele’s ‘The Spectator’, printed in London, 1733. Containing No.s 1-635, Thursday March 1st 1710-1711, to Monday December 20th.
A very good set in gorgeous period full calf bindings. 12mo, 8 volumes, uniformly bound in attractive period blindtooled full calf, spines with five raised bands with contrasting brown morocco labels, compartments ornately gilt decorated, all page edges speckled red. Period plain endpapers. The books measure 10.5cm x 17cm.

The contents of all volumes are complete, meeting collation: 313, [11]; 324, [12]; 312, [12]; 291, [9]; 243, [11]; 294, [18]; 324, [12]; 299, [12]pp, including indexes and dedications. Title pages printed within double ruled borders with an engraved portrait vignette. Decorative woodcut initials, head and tailpieces throughout. The bindings are firm, hinges strong with a few short thin cracks, some chipping to heads and lower compartment vol 6 with some loss to backstrip, general light wear but still a very attractive set. Contents are firmly bound and in very good crisp condition, clean with light toning and the odd minor spot or mark.

The Spectator was a popular periodical edited by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele that was published in the early 18th century. It contained essays, stories, and commentary on a wide range of topics, including politics, literature, and society. The publication was intended to entertain and educate readers, and it quickly became a sensation, with a circulation of up to 4,000 copies per day. Addison was particularly known for his essays, which were witty and insightful, and which helped to shape the development of the English essay. The Spectator was influential in its time and is considered a significant contribution to English literature and journalism.