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All
Persons whatever may be resolved gratis in any Question that their own satisfaction or curiosity shall prompt 'em to, if they send their Questions by a Penny Post letter to Mr. Smith at his Coffee-house in Stocks Market in the Poultry, where orders are given for the reception of such Letters, and
203:
The next person to join the "secret" society of the
Athenians was one Dr. Norris (likely the physician Edward Norris, the fifth son of Thomas Norris of Lancashire) who devoted his assistance without any compensation or recognition. As readership increased and the amount of inquiries became
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The "most nice and curious questions" ran from natural sciences to religion to literature to politics. During the lifetime of the magazine "the experts" grappled with thousands of questions. The readers submitted questions like:
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he had an inspiration for the title one day while he was walking home that he would "not exchange for 50 guineas." He continues that a reader of his magazine need only consult Acts 17:21 to see the reasoning behind the title.
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and could convey it to Dunton. The first two issues of the magazine were composed and published by these two only. The "surprising and unthought of" magazine's style produced a response of hundreds of letters of inquiries.
158:, to give their knowledgeable advice on questions submitted by the magazine's readers. The magazine had an announcement at the end encouraging readers to send in their questions,
730:
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Several scholars credit London bookseller John Dunton with having originated the advice column format in his
Athenian Mercury in 1691 (Gieber, 1960; Hendley, 1977).
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can also be analysed in the context of gender representation due to the number of questions about courtship and gender relations. Helen Berry, in her book
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Dunton's "question-answer project", as he referred to his new format, needed people to help publish it. The first person who partnered with him was
200:, as these first two issues were called, produced such a large readership that an increase in their Society membership of "experts" was required.
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In addition to questions on everyday life, religion, and the soul, people sent in questions on supernatural subjects such as witches and ghosts.
285:" who wish to know if ladies could submit inquiries also. He assured them that their questions would be seriously considered, as on 23 May 1691
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410:(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
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An Emblem of ye
Athenian Society. 1692. Engraved by Frederik Hendrik van Hove for Charles Gildon's The History of the Athenian Society
735:
367:, focuses more on the 30% of questions that are directly related to gender issues, a subject first broached by Kathryn Shevelow in
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After the first issue was published, concerns were raised about Dunton's use of the word "Gazette", to which the 25-year-old
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The concept of questions submitted by readers of a periodical and free "expert advice" given was then followed by writer
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He fought this with advertising that said any queries that they had replied to should be resubmitted to his magazine for
537:, By John Dunton, Athenian Society (London, England), Published by J. and J. Knapton, 1728; Introduction (Google Books)
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has been focused on the political and scientific content portrayed by the authors. Though this approach is useful, the
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579:"Review : Gender Society and Print Culture in Late-Stuart England: The Cultural World of the Athenian Mercury"
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is approached by most scholars in the context of Dunton's life. Additionally, analysis of the questions in the
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Journalismus und
Literatur: Die Literarischen Beiträge in Tatler, Spectator und den anderen Blättern der Zeit
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appeared from Febr. 13, 1708 to May 11, 1711. A good market survey plus bibliography is Volker Stürzer.
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Gender, society, and print culture in late Stuart
England / The Cultural World of the Athenian Mercury
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Gender, Society and Print
Culture in Late-Stuart England: The Cultural World of the Athenian Mercury
104:, in 1693, for four weeks. It was the first periodical that catered specifically to women readers.
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Dunton was surprised one day early on into his "question project" with a letter that came from a "
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could be considered to have prior claim; in response, Dunton changed "Gazette" to "Mercury".
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Jasenowski, Jaroslaw, "Coffeehouse
Curiosities: Materiality and Musealization Strategies in
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satirizes the mythical members of the
Athenian Society and plays fun at the premises of the
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printed the "gentle-woman's" questions. One thing lead to another and on 28 February 1693
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8:
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387:"McMaster University - The William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections"
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care shall be taken for their
Resolution by the next Weekly Paper after their sending.
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overwhelming, they added another member, Dunton's brother-in-law the poet Reverend
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208:. The Society consisted of these four real members and several fictional members.
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Women and Print Culture: The Construction of Femininity in the Early Periodical.
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Because Dunton's "answers to correspondents" were "universally received" his
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Dunton followed in 1703 with a collection of the questions and answers from
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Confidential to America: newspaper advice columns and sexual education
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Advice online: advice-giving in an American Internet health column
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Dunton, John & National Art Library (Great Britain) et al.,
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How can a man know when he dreams or when he is really awake?
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in its first printings. Dunton explains in his autobiography
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A comical representation of the Athenian Society written by
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in 1691. He formed a "society of experts", which he called
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553:. Frankfurt a. M.; Bern; New York; Nancy: Peter Lang 1984.
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were being plagiarized by a copycat publication called
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The life and errors of John Dunton, citizen of London
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Is there an impartial and true history of the world?
731:Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom
230:Some of the people who read the advice column in
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114:The Athenian Gazette or The Casuistical Mercury
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223:Dunton referred to Tom Brown, chief editor of
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146:Scholars credit Dunton with initiating the
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639:Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies,
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692:Downloadable scan of a supplement to
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70:twice weekly between 17 March 1690 (
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13:
616:, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003,
112:The magazine was initially called
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726:1697 disestablishments in England
701:Downloadable scans of individual
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641:47, no. 1 (March 2024). p. 77-94.
455:Goreau, Angeline (January 1987).
736:Publications established in 1690
467:from the original on 2023-04-05.
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1:
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408:Dunton, p. 188. (Acts 17:21
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150:format. It was first used in
648:, Aldine Transaction, 2007,
577:Bell, Maureen (March 2004).
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7:
686:Downloadable scan of Vol. 2
680:Downloadable scan of Vol. 1
412:– King James Version, 1611)
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707:from the Internet Archive.
697:from the Internet Archive.
688:from the Internet Archive.
682:from the Internet Archive.
508:, being the antagonist of
347:Historiographical approach
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266:Related contemporary texts
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242:, amongst other things),
217:The Lacedemonian Mercury.
225:The Lacedemonian Mercury
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100:, was also published by
457:"HERS (Published 1987)"
336:The New Athenian Comedy
213:"Children of the Brain"
53:The Casuistical Mercury
596:10.1093/library/5.1.87
252:Sir Thomas Pope Blount
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477:Jasenowski 2024, p.77
314:in 1704, followed by
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703:The Athenian Mercury
694:The Athenian Mercury
635:The Athenian Mercury
300:The Athenian Mercury
287:The Athenian Mercury
232:The Athenian Mercury
198:The Athenian Gazette
156:The Athenian Society
152:The Athenian Mercury
102:The Athenian Society
92:The Athenian Mercury
78:) and 14 June 1697.
63:The Athenian Society
47:The Question Project
41:The Athenian Gazette
35:The Athenian Mercury
658:Locher, Miriam A.,
535:The Athenian oracle
525:Dunton, p. 190-191
504:"Lacedaemonia", or
495:Dunton, p. 189-194
320:The British Apollo.
292:The Ladies' Mercury
277:The Ladies' Mercury
248:Marquess of Halifax
193:Nicolas Malebranche
97:The Ladies' Mercury
644:Gudelunas, David,
547:The British Apollo
461:The New York Times
318:Then in 1708 came
316:The little Review.
256:Sir William Hedges
236:Sir William Temple
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76:Gregorian calendar
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29:February 28, 1693
612:Berry, Helen M.,
439:Gudelunas, p. 21
342:Athenian Mercury.
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302:called the
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221:amendments.
80:John Dunton
60:written by
715:Categories
607:References
562:Berry, 52
58:periodical
374:Footnotes
310:with his
240:talismans
16:Newspaper
465:Archived
88:spin-off
82:was the
56:, was a
705:issues
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510:Athens
506:Sparta
325:Satire
312:Review
258:, and
68:London
108:Title
74:1691
50:, or
44:, or
38:, or
664:ISBN
650:ISBN
618:ISBN
351:The
86:. A
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637:",
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