12mo. [12], 297pp, [15]. Contemporary panelled calf. Rubbed, upper joint split. Very occasional light spotting.

The third edition of compiled periodicals The Lover, and Reader, from Irish playwright Sir Richard Steele (bap. 1672, d. 1729), founder of the Tatler and the Spectator. The Lover, edited by one ‘Marmaduke Myrtle, Gent.’, sought 'to trace the Passion or Affection of Love', and included several of Steele's most decorated essays. The paper ran for forty issues and was widely read in Steele's day: five collected editions appeared during his lifetime and four more before the end of the century. In contrast, The Reader, entirely devoted to politics - read: the succession crisis - lasted for only nine issues.