Very first of the advice column newspapers...

Item # 707383

March 15, 1692

THE ATHENIAN MERCURY, London, March 15, 1692 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. There are 9 questions in this issue.
Single sheet, 8 by 12 inches, very nice condition.