Persistence is the rule when looking for book reviews. Reviews can be very elusive, even for books that are fairly well known. Some books are reviewed many times, while others are reviewed once or not at all.

TO BEGIN, YOU NEED TO KNOW:

· Author and /or title
· Date of publication

YOU CAN FIND THIS INFORMATION:

· On the book or the title page
· In the Online Catalog, Vikat
· In Books in Print, listed under databases or at http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/



BOOK REVIEW INDEXES

Begin your search by looking in these indexes which list ONLY book reviews. If you do not find your book listed in these indexes, recheck the publication date and spelling of the author's last name and try other sources listed here.

Book Review Digest, 1905 to present, with cumulative indexes. Includes quotations from some of the reviews. Reference Counter, Z1219 .C95.

Book Review Index, 1965 to present. Reference Counter, Z1035 .A1 B6.

Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities, 1961 to 1990. Reference Counter, Z1035 .A1 I63.



SCHOLARLY BOOK REVIEWS

Scholarly and technical works for specialists are often reviewed in scholarly journals as late as two years after publication. See "Book Reviews" section at the end of each issue of appropriate printed indexes: some major ones are listed below. Reviews are also to be found through their equivalents in CD-ROM (various electronic indexes in the reference area) or on electronic databases, or at Internet sites for book dealers, such as www.amazon.com.

Business Periodicals Index, 1958 to present. Index Table, Z7164 .C81 B98

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974. Reference Counter, Z1035 .A1 C65.

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals, 1886-1974. Reference Counter, Z1035 .A1 C64.

Education Index, 1929 to present. Index Table, Z5813 .E23.

General Science Index, 1978 to present. Index Table, Z7403 .E23.

H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences, 1998-
H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences is an online scholarly review journal which allows scholars ready access to reviews, while also providing a forum for discussion concerning review articles.

Humanities Index

Social Science Index



POPULAR BOOK REVIEWS

Fiction and nonfiction for the general reader, especially those books that might appear on a bestseller list, will often be reviewed in popular magazines and newspapers.

Academic Search Premier in Ebscohost, electronic database.

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, 1976 to present. See the "Book Reviews" section at the end of each issue. Index Tables, AI3 .R38.

The New York Times Index, 1851 to present. Reference Area, AI21 .N44.



TO WRITE A REVIEW

Drewry, John. Writing Book Reviews. Reference Area, PN98 .B7 1966. In this book for the experienced or the novice reviewer, the author discusses both style and content requirements for book reviews in different subject fields. The book contains questions to elicit the ideas crucial for a reasoned review, and gives examples written by experts.

FOR ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS, ASK AT THE REFERENCE DESK.

 

 

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