Here's an advertisement I found in the front of The Useful Family Herbal by John Hill, M.D., printed in 1770. Mineral Waters! If you're interested in any of these esoteric waters, you can read a contemporary account, The Methodical Synopsis Of Mineral Waters, by John Rutty, M.D. You can also read "Dr. Russel's Dissertation on the Use of the Sea-Water, with Dr. Speed's Commentary" that's mentioned in the ad. A few of the waters are still bottled and sold.
Interestingly, William Owen, bookseller and mineral water salesman, was also the publisher of Mr Hill's book in which this advertisement appears. This is the only time I can recall a publisher of that era advertising his side business in one of his own publications.
Further research into William Owen reveals that he was charged with libel against the House of Commons and the King's Bench in 1752, for printing a pamphlet which the attorney-general called "wicked, false, scandalous, seditious, and malicious libel".
An account of two trials, including William Owen's trial, was published in 1765 by J. Almon. The Owen section of the pamphlet begins with this:
and to what, you may ask, does that asterisk refer? To this, at the bottom of the page:
Well played. A toast, to Mr William Owen, with the mineral water of your choice.
