Very first of the advice column newspapers...

Item # 699654

February 18, 1693

THE ATHENIAN MERCURY, London, Feb. 18, 1693 This was the very first of the "agony aunt" newspapers, a newspaper providing personal advice to its readers.
In creating this format of responding to questions from readers, the publisher, John Dunton, did so as a result of feeling guilty for cheating on his wife. He thought that people like himself might appreciate confiding in a stranger --anonymously--& that readers would be titillated by the exchange.
It proved to be a success as he was bombarded with queries on everything from marriage to the ethics of slave-trading to why sermons seem longer than they are.
Single sheet, 8 by 13 1/2 inches, wide margins, very nice condition.