Originally published in 1965 and now reissued, this edition of The Spectator was the first to provide an authoritative text, based upon a complete collation of the original sheets. An extensive introduction and commentary together throw light on problems of publication and authorship, enabling the reader to enjoy those essays against the background of their own times. A full analytic index provides a clue to the multiplicity of topics covered in the essays. The book will be of interest to historians and students of English literature of the 18th century.