I am pleased by the decision by Maney to digitise and make available online the full range of articles published in British Corrosion Journal. The placing of the journal online provides ready access to 163 issues published between 1965 and 2002. In recognition of this, I have been asked to write something about the journal and, perhaps more controversially, draw up a selection of papers for 'highly recommended' re-reading. Some of our 'more experienced' readers might just remember the inauguration of the British Corrosion Journal (BCJ), the precursor to Corrosion Engineering Science and Technology (CEST). BCJ was founded in 1965 to reflect the corrosion interests of a number of professional bodies which at that time collaborated via the British Joint Corrosion Group, including the Iron and Steel Institute, the Institute of Metals and the Society of Chemical Industry, and had the support of many other aligned societies, including the Association of Corrosion Engineers. The initial (and continuing) objectives of BCJ were to promote and disseminate the discipline of corrosion and corrosion prevention as an independent area of scientific and engineering expertise. The alternative outlet at that time, Corrosion Science, reflected a far more academic view.The promotional objective in particular continues to resonate today, as do other aspects of the journal's early coverage: a strong focus on corrosion engineering and technology as well as corrosion science; concern over the failure to apply the principles of corrosion engineering at an early stage of the design process; and the cost of corrosion to industry and society. The early issues still convey the enthusiasm of the new interdisciplinary activity, both in the technical papers and in the journal's news and features (a distinguishing feature of the journal that continues), and include classic papers that remain relevant to today's practitioners. The papers mentioned below are, for reasons of space and time, highly selective, and I strongly encourage readers to explore the archive in the light of their own personal interests.Until recently early papers were only available to loyal subscribers. Luckily the former UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), through the corrosion research group of Professor Ken Ross, took BCJ from the first issue; consequently, as an academic based in Manchester, I have always been able to consult the early papers at will. They make interesting reading, sometimes quite breathtaking in their quality and depth, many still of some relevance today. At first BCJ was able to publish six issues per year, clearly providing an outlet for pent-up demand. After a few years perhaps the initial excitement abated and the publication rate settled down at four issues every year and it is only in the last few years that CEST has been able to return to six, and more recently seven, issues per year. The early papers house a treasure trove of research in now common fields of endeavour. I can cite three examples. My own field of i...