The idea of an English-language academic journal in the field of Belarusian studies had been considered by the
Anglo-Belarusian Society since its establishment in 1954, as the Society sought to disseminate information about Belarusians in the Western world. By 1965 the Society had found academics willing to contribute to such a journal as well as funding from the Belarusian Charitable Trust created under the auspices of the
Association of Belarusians in Great Britain. The main persons behind the project were
Guy Picarda and
Auberon Herbert. The first issue of the journal started with an introduction by Oxford professor
Robert Auty about "a little-known East European people and its contribution to civilisation" and included articles by
Alexander Nadson,
Guy Picarda,
Leo Haroška and
Vera Rich as well as a book review and a chronicle of main events related to Belarus and the Belarusian communities abroad. The circulation of each issue was between 500 and 800 copies, which were sent to many universities and libraries in Britain and abroad (including the Soviet Union). The main editors of the journal in the 20th century were
Arnold McMillin (1967–1971),
Jim Dingley (1972–1980) and
Peter John Mayo (1980–1988). The production of the "old" journal ceased in 1988, although in 1997
Guy Picarda resumed the publication of a periodic chronicle of Belarusian events with occasional articles in the field of Belarusian studies under the guise of
Belarusian Chronicle. That periodical, regarded as having a significant information value, albeit inferior to its predecessor from an academic perspective, was published for approximately 10 years until Guy Picarda's death. == 2013 to present day ==