ABSTRACT
The sales of the monthly magazines showed there was an audience for journals providing miscellaneous material as well as news. The London Chronicle was the first of its kind. However, by the end of the eighteenth century, book reviews had become a regular feature of most newspapers. The increasing page sizes in the second half of the eighteenth century enabled editors to develop their relationships with their readers by devoting more space to readers' letters. This meant that the printed expression of social and political views was no longer the sole preserve of professional politicians and essayists. In 1762 John Wilkes started the North Briton, an anti-ministerial essay sheet in response to Tobias Smollet's pro-Bute Briton. The Liberty of the Press is the birthright of a Briton, and is justly esteemed the firmest bulwark of the liberties of this country. From the Perfect Diurnal in 1642, parliamentary reports were a major feature of the Civil War newsbook.
