Being an editor: then and now

This commentary focuses on my experiences as an editor of Applied and Environmental Microbiology (AEM) from 1988 to 1996. I reflect on the challenges of the pre-internet world when all communications, including paper manuscripts, traveled by post. It was a time when editors chose the reviewers without the "benefit" of reviewers suggested by the authors. I describe the advantages and disadvantages of being an editor in those times, using seven memorable papers as examples of our efforts to advance both the field and our esteemed journal. I do so in the hope that this perspective brings relevance to present-day authors, reviewers, and editors.