This essay traces the history of MLJ editorial policies and practices as seen in the reviews section, traced mainly through the voices of the MLJ editors. These editorial messages reveal the role of the editor in shaping the function of the reviews and also provide a window on the issues and events that each generation of editors deemed important enough to merit public exposure. As shown in graphic displays, the reviews section reflects the history of the foreign language teaching and learning field in the 20th century in the distribution of the reviews across languages and topics, as well as trends over time. The essay concludes by considering the current issues and challenges for the reviews section and also possible future directions for this part of the MLJ.