In the first era ( 1st â `` 6th editions , 1768 â `` 1826 ) , the Britannica was controlled by the people who first wrote it , Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell , and by their friends and relations , such as Thomas Bonar , George Gleig and Archibald Constable . In the first era ( 1st â `` 6th editions , 1768 â `` 1826 ) , the Britannica was managed and published by its founders , Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell , by Archibald Constable , and by others .