At this year's AGM, it was my sad duty to announce the retirement of the Editor of our Journal of Molluscan Studies, John Taylor. A bald account appropriate to a formal report of Council (that appears elsewhere in this Bulletin) is entirely inadequate as a means of acknowledging the debt that The Society owes to him.

John took over the Editorship in 1986, in difficult circumstances for the Journal. He negotiated a transfer of publisher to OUP, a change which has favoured the Journal, and The Society ever since. During his tenure the Journal has risen to be one of the leading international journals in the field, both in terms of citation, and of the nationality of contributors and subscribers.

Under his leadership, the Journal has metamorphosed three times, and is now larger in both format and content. John's achievements are, as he would want to insist, not his alone; he has maintained and inspired a team of Associate Editors to ensure rigorous scrutiny across the range of Molluscan Studies. At a time when institutions of all kinds have cut back on journal subscriptions, it is a magnificent achievement to have presided over a real increase in subscribers.

The Society has been very fortunate to have, in one person, such quiet but effective business acumen, acute editorial judgement, and esteem as a leading researcher. Members will be glad to know that his advice and assistance will still be available, and that, freed from administrative responsibilities in the Natural History Museum, and of the weight of Editorship, his research will continue.

At a dinner following the AGM in Plymouth, I was delighted to propose a toast to John, thanking him for all he has done for The Society, and wishing him all success in future. Under normal circumstances, such achievements would be acknowledged by the conferment of Honorary Membership; in this case we could not do so because he has already been given that accolade.

Robert Cameron, President