Days With Sir Roger de Coverley

Sir Roger de Coverley is one of English literature's most delightful inventions: a country squire of ancient lineage, generous heart, and magnificent oddities. Joseph Addison's essays, published in The Spectator between 1711 and 1712, take us into Sir Roger's household and estates, observing his peculiar customs, his affection for his servants, his terror of witches, and his generous but irrational philanthropy. We meet his chaplain, his tenants, and the SPECTATOR himself, who becomes an honored guest at the de Coverley estate. These are not plots but portraits, painted with a wit that never bites and an affection that never dims. Addison invented a form: the character sketch as casual essay, the observation of English life as gentle comedy. Nearly three centuries later, Sir Roger remains impossibly dear, a man whose kindness outweighs his follies and whose follies make his kindness bearable. For readers who relish the small pleasures of civilized prose, who enjoy watching a clever writer sketch a world that no longer exists, these essays are pure, quiet treasure.