Advice columnists have been a staple of American newspaper copy in the twentieth century, particu larly in sections of the newspaper that cater to women’s interests.

Generally women themselves, advice columnists often respond to letters from their readers. These letters ask about some personal or family issue, such as possible marital infidelity or poor relations with in-laws. Some other advice columnists specialize in matters concerning housekeeping and household economics, or proper etiquette.

As with the notion of newspaper columnists more generally, the mixture of objective and interpretive reporting that characterized so much pre-twentieth century journalism generally makes it difficult to find a starting point for the institution in its present form.

The initial impetus for the modern American advice column, however, probably came in the late 1800s with an influx of immigrant readers or other residents newly arrived to the city, who were often confused about how to act in the unfamiliar American urban environment. One of the first advice columnists was Marie Manning, who began writing a regular column for the romantically confused in 1898 under the pen name “Beatrix Fairfax.” When she moved to William Randolf Hearst’s New York Journal, her editor gave her a column of her own when queries concerning romantic entanglements threatened to overwhelm the writers on the “Letters to the Editor” desk. Another famous early advice columnist was “Emily Post,” who dispensed etiquette advice. Two of the most famous and most widely syndicated American advice columnists in the postwar era have been sisters Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer) and Abigail van Buren (“Dear Abby”).