Finding Book Reviews
Q: I need some book reviews. How do I get them?
A: There are a number of sources to help you find book reviews.
- Book Index with Reviews has links to many reviews from publications aimed at librarians. These reviews are usually quite short, but can give you the flavor of the books under discussion.
- Book Review Digest lists citations to reviews from 1983 to the present.
- Book Review Index lists citations, 1965 to present
- Bowker's Books In Print also contains some book reviews.
- Other online indexes contain book reviews; find them by searching for the title or subject of the book AND the term "book review" or "book reviews." Online indexes usually cover the last 5 - 15 years.
For older reviews, try searching JSTOR, or consult one of the print indexes, such as:
- Book Review Index (1965-present)
- Book Review Digest (1905-1997)
- National Library Service Cumulative Book Review Index 1905 - 1974
- New York Times Book Review Index 1896 - 1970
- Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals 1886 - 1974
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Index 1923 - 1984
- An Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities 1960 - 1990
These indexes are found at the Index Tables on the third floor of the Thompson Library.
Contemporary Literary Criticism (also in the Reference Collection at Z 1224 .C62) contains excerpts from reviews and works of criticism. Please inquire at the reference desk (762-3408) for further assistance.
