With Prefaces, Historical and Biographical, by Alexander Chalmers, A.M. Collection of the complete runs of eleven eighteenth-century British newspapers. Contains The Spectator(10 vols), Tatler(5 vols), Guardian(3 vols), Rambler(4 vols), Adventurer(3 vols), (4 vols), Connoisseur(3 vols), (2 vols), Mirror(3 vols), Lounger(3 vols), Observer(4 vols), and an index (1 vol). The Tatler, the precursor to The Spectator, was started by Richard Steele as Isaac Bickerstaff and operated from April 12, 1709 to January 2, 1711. The Spectator, founded by Steele and Joseph Addison, attempted to correct some of the problems Steele had encountered during the run of the Tatler. The Spectator ran from March 1, 1711 to December 20, 1714, with a suspension from December 7, 1712 to June 17, 1714. During this time, Steele founded another newspaper entitled The Guardian, which ran from March 12 to October 1, 1713. The edition printed here contains the addition of no. 176, "Three Letters, by John Hughes; designed for the Guardian." The Rambler, published by Edward Cave, was edited and often written by Samuel Johnson and ran from March 20, 1759 to March 17, 1752, while The Idler was a collection of essays by Johnson which originally appeared weekly in the Universal chronicle from April 15, 1758 to April 5, 1760. With John Hawkesworth, Johnson also founded and wrote the periodical The Adventurer, which ran from November 7, 1752 to March 9, 1754. The World, edited by Edward Moore ran from January 4, 1753 to December 30, 1756 and predominantly focused on the interests of the upper class while The Connoisseur, run by George Colman the Elder and Bonnell Thornton from January 31, 1754 to September 30, 1756, acted as its counterpart for a more middle-class readership. The Mirror, which ran from January 23, 1779 to May 27, 1780, and its continuation, The Lounger, dating from February 5, 1785 to January 6, 1787, were both originally published in Edinburgh by Henry MacKenzie in the style of The Spectator. The Observer was a collection of essays and other pieces by Richard Cumberland originally published in 1785. Each newspaper contains an historical and biographical preface by Alexander Chalmers along with engravings of the founders and/or primary authors. Volumes labeled with volume number, newspaper name, and volume within newspaper. Every volume contains bookplate of Edmond Kelly, Conseil de l'Ambassade d'Amerique. First volume contains list of newspapers and number of volumes for each in pencil. On many, top or bottom board loose, boards spotted, leather at edges and spine loose, chipped, or flaking. Some with boards dented or rubbed. All text block edges soiled. Water ring on top board of volume 26. Top board of volume 23 split, and leather beginning to pull away.