ADDISON, JOSEPH

born May 1, 1672, Milston, Wiltshire, Eng. died June 17, 1719, London Joseph Addison, oil painting by M. Dahl, 1719; in the National Portrait Gallery, London English essayist, poet, and dramatist, who, with Richard Steele, was a leading contributor to and guiding spirit of the periodicals The Tatler and The Spectator. His writing skill led to his holding important posts in government while the Whigs were in power. Additional reading The standard biography is Peter Smithers, The Life of Joseph Addison, 2nd ed. (1968). Robert M. Otten, Joseph Addison (1982), combines biography and criticism. Additional critical studies are Edward A. Bloom and Lillian D. Bloom (eds.), Addison and Steele: The Critical Heritage (1980); and Michael G. Ketcham, Transparent Designs: Reading, Performance, and Form in the Spectator Papers (1985).