This is a three-volume collected reissue of the sheets of the periodical "The observator", with a new introductions, indexes, table of contents, etc. It is referred to, but not listed separately, in ESTC (see ESTC P1869, P1871 and P1873).

The imprints of volumes 2 and 3 read: London, Printed by J. Bennet, for Charles Brome, at the Gun in St. Paul's Church-yard, MDCLXXXVII.

Volume 3 has the title: A brief history of the times, &c. In a preface to the third volume of Observators ...

Pagination: Volume 1: [18] pages, 470 parts, [1] leaf of plates -- Volume 2: [14] pages, 471-473, 4-215 parts -- Volume 3: [2], 40, pages, 246 parts.

" ... A folio double-columned sheet ... called at first 'The Observator, in question and answer.' The first number appeared on Wednesday, 13 April 1681, and it was originally designed to appear twice a week ... But after no. 30 (6 July 1681) when the title was changed to 'The Observator in dialogue, ' and the interlocutors were named Whig and Tory, three or four numbers usually appeared each week. Short title of 'The Observator' appears on the various nos. The first series ended on Wednesday, 9 Jan. 1683-4, with no. 470. In the second series, begun on Thursday, 10 Jan. 1683-4, the interlocutors were renamed Observator and Trimmer. This series ended on Saturday, 7 Feb. 1684-5 with no. 215. The third and last series, beginning on Wednesday, 11 Feb. 1684-5, ended with no. 246 on Wednesday, 9 March 1686-7 ... To the third volume (London, 1687) was prefixed 'A brief history of the times, ' dedicated to posterity, in which Oates and his plot were finally exposed."--DNB.

The frontispiece portrait was engraved by R. White after Godfrey Kneller.

Printed in two columns.

Each part (a single-sheet or, rarely, bifolium), has a caption-title and an imprint at the foot of the final page. The imprints name the following: 13 April-7 May 1681, Henry Brome; 11 May 1681, S. Brome (probably an error for J. Brome); 14 May 1681- 24 March 1683, Joanna Brome; 26 March 1683-14 April 14, 1684, Charles Brome and William Abington; [16] April-10 September 1684, W. Abington; 11 September 1684-9 March 1687, Charles Brome. Some numbers exist in more than one edition.

Some of the dates of individual parts are given according to Lady Day dating.

English short title catalogue (ESTC), P1871

English short title catalogue (ESTC), P1869

English short title catalogue (ESTC), P1873

Gift; Johnson family; 1914.