Physical Review is the title of a
series of
research journals
published by the
American Physical
Society.
The first series (I) was published from
1893-1912. A second series was started
in 1913 and continued until 1969, when
the journal was divided by subject matter
as follows:
As the fields of
condensed matter and
materials physics,
Physical Review B (PRB) exploded in size.
In 1993, the
APS launched
a new journal which would be devoted some
theoretical
aspects previously submitted to PRB:
Furthermore, Physical Review Letters (PRL) became a separate
publication in 1958. As it contains articles from all
fields and is meant to be used for exciting announcements
of interest, in principle, to all physicists, publication
in PRL is very prestigious.
In my opinion, Physical Review is the epitome of what
scientific publishing should be. Contrary to journals
published for profit by private companies, these journals
provide and enhance communication among researchers without
bilking the funding agencies or subscribing libraries.