Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 July 2011
Dutch astronomer S.R. Pottasch, who was appointed as one of the two first Editors-in-Chief of A&A together with J.L. Steinberg, recalls the events that led to the creation of the first European astronomy journal. This account is based on the author’s notes and documents and also on an article relating ESO’s early history written by A. Blaauw and published in The ESO Messenger No. 60, pp. 23–34 (1990). C. Bertout added footnotes giving a few biographical details about the actors.