The dissemination of scientific results is a vital part of the advancement of knowledge. And disseminate the Journal of Fluid Mechanics certainly has done, in the 25 years of its existence. The first part of volume one of the Journal was published in May 1956, and by the end of April 1981 a total of 4662 papers concerned with fluid mechanics had been published in 105 volumes and distributed to universities, laboratories, institutes and individual subscribers in all countries of the globe. Watching that torrent of information flow past, controlling and regulating it, and at times diverting it, has been an extraordinary experience. It has been a pleasure and privilege to have been involved, even though I have sometimes wished that all research funds would dry up temporarily so as to give editors an interlude in which to reflect on what they are doing.