Public information about Addison is limited; all that is currently known is that a single work, The Cries of London, is attributed to this author and is classified as prose and miscellaneous writings. Judging from the title and genre, the author turns attention to the sounds and scenes of everyday city life, with the writing likely dwelling on ordinary things such as street vendors' calls and the bustle of alleys and lanes, recording and portraying the urban character of London in the form of prose sketches. Writing of this kind tends to be plain in language and rich in observation, skilled at drawing interest and meaning from small scenes of daily life; it preserves a flavor of the streets while carrying the relaxed tone of a literary essayist. On the available evidence, Addison's life, nationality and full body of work cannot be established, and the influence of the work remains to be further examined. Readers who open The Cries of London may treat it as a prose glimpse of old London street life and appreciate the author's delicate attention to the city's sounds and ordinary existence.
