The Tatler, Volume 1

A meticulously prepared edition brings the original 1709‑1710 numbers of this influential periodical back to life. Drawing on both the octavo subscription version and the more widely circulated duodecimo, the editor has aligned the text with contemporary scholarship while smoothing out printer’s quirks. Portraits of the founding trio and a rare illustration of the fictional Isaac Bickerstaff add visual flavor to the restored pages.

Listeners will discover the lively partnership of Steele, Addison, and Swift as they launch witty essays on politics, manners, and everyday life in early eighteenth‑century England. Their backgrounds—school friendships, court appointments, theatrical successes, and literary feuds—color the commentary that shaped public opinion of the day. The collection offers a vivid glimpse into the birth of modern journalism, revealing the sharp humor and keen observations that made the Tatler a cornerstone of the era’s cultural conversation.