Athenian Society (London, England) (Corporate Name)

Its An alphabetical table comprehending the contents of the five first volumes of the Athenian gazette ... and of the history of the Athenian Society ... 1691.

BM (London. Athenian Society)

NUC pre-1956 (information note under Athenian Society, London: Founded 1690/91 by John Dunton for the publication of his Athenian gazette or Athenian mercury. Cf. Dunton's Life and errors, v. 1, p. 187-197 (especially p. 194) and H.R. Steeves in Mod. lang. rev., v. 7, p. 363-371. Never formally dissolved, but the Gazette was discontinued June 1697)

LC data base, 12/13/85 (hdg.: Athenian society, London)

Berry, H. Gender, society, and print culture in late Stuart England, 2003 : page 19 (the members of the Athenian Society who collaborated with John Dunton in writing The Athenian mercury were Richard Sault, a Cambridge mathematician and "hack writer," and Samuel Wesley, an Anglican minister) page 20 (another contributor to The Athenian mercury, who was never a formal member of the Athenian Society, was Dr. John Norris, a Cambridge Neo-Platonist philosopher. Readers of The Athenian mercury were "actively duped into thinking that the Athenian Society had a much larger membership." The authors led them to believe they had "taken into our Society a Civilian, a Doctor in Physick, and a Chyrurgeon [surgeon], on purpose to be more serviceable to the Age")

Parks, S. John Dunton and the English book trade, 1976 : page 74 (the Athenian Society, 1691-1697) page 75-76 (Dunton created the Athenian Society to create "the illusion of a body of learned men engaged in replying to the questions submitted by readers." The Athenian Society was "the first appearance of the club framework in literature") page 80 (members: John Dunton; Richard Sault, the mathematician; and: Samuel Wesley, Dunton's brother-in-law. Sault enlisted Dr. John Norris, who offered his assistance without pay and was unwilling to become a permanent member of Dunton's board of editors. On April 10, 1691, Dunton, Sault, and Wesley met at Smith's Coffee-House, where they composed and signed the articles of agreement for the writing of The Athenian Mercury)