“ Creighton in her admirable Life of our first Editor has told us a great deal about the early history of the Review after it was founded, what led to its foundation has never been fully related, though there are large materials for the history of a similar scheme, which never was actually carried out, to be found in the letters of John Richard Green.
The idea of establishing an Historical Review goes back a great number of years. In fact, it is at least thirty-nine years old, though our Review is only twenty. ”

“ It is far too big a job to begin without clearly seeing one's way.' [3]
Those were the days when the Academy was a paper written by scholars for scholars; and the North British Review was vigorously supported by Lord Acton, who contributed twenty-five reviews to the current number (October 1869) at the date of Green's letter. It is curious to think that a stumbling-block should have been unconsciously placed in the way of the original Historical Review by the man who was one of the foremost to promote the success of our Review sixteen years later. ”

“ Bryce—the godfather of our enterprise—invited a small company to dine with him in Bryanston Square. Of those who were present I may mention Lord Acton, Dean Church, Mr. Creighton, Mr. Richard Garnett, Dr. Ward, Robertson Smith, and York Powell. ... We spent a long evening settling the general policy of the Review—I say 'we', though I of course only acted as a sort of secretary. ”