Genetical Research ceased publication under that title at the end of 2007 to be reborn as Genetics Research in February 2008. The journal published many influential papers between 1961 and 2007, fourteen of which are reproduced here. They have been drawn from the most highly cited papers of each decade in which the journal appeared, and illustrate the impact that it has had. This is particularly true of population and quantitative genetics, where one can trace changes in our understanding of the effect of mutation, recombination, selection and population size on genetic variability in natural and artificial populations. Each paper is preceded by a commentary, written by an expert in the field, to set it in a contemporary context. These show how the field has developed over the last forty five years, and we hope that they encourage you to make your contribution by submitting your work to Genetics Research.