Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Citation Styles

For further research assistance, please contact the Reference Department at Portland (780-4272), Gorham (780-5344), or Lewiston (753-6540), or use our online Ask A Libarian service.

What is a book review?

It is important to understand what a book review is, and what it is not.  A book review is a critical assessment of a particular work, usually appearing in a journal (either academic or popular) shortly after the book's initial publication.  A book review is not the critical evaluation of an author's entire body of work or of a broad literary theme or genre.

What should I know about the book in order to find reviews?

When was it first published? Is it fiction or non-fiction? What is the general subject area of the book?  The answers to these questions will have a lot to do with how you search for reviews.

The following are annually published indexes that provide a brief selection of reviews in a given year. These indexes are most useful when you know your book's year of publication (since that's when most of the reviews are likely to have been published). Simply select the appropriate volume and look up the author or title.

Book Review Digest
POR & GOR Ref Z 1219 C96
Series begins in 1905. BRD lists over 7000 new reviews each year. Each entry includes a brief excerpt of one or more reviews. For the online version, see link below, but if your book was first published prior to the 1980s, the print version is the resource to use.  Also,  

Book Review Index
POR & GOR Ref Z1035 A1 B6
Similar to Book Review Digest, this print index begins in 1965.  Although the entries do not include review excerpts, this index does cover a greater number of journals (four times as many, in fact) than does the "Digest."

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
POR & GOR Ref AI 3 R48
Another print index, going  back to 1900, and indexing many popular journals.

Also consider the following print indexes, which often provide lengthy review excerpts.  These books are particularly useful for in looking for reviews of literary works (fiction, poetry, drama).

Contemporary Literary Criticism
POR Ref PN 94 C6
(Also available online. See "Indexes and Databases" below.)

Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism
POR Ref PN 761 N5

Twentieth Century Literature Criticism
POR Ref PN 771 G2

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

Book Review Digest 
This online database indexes over 7000 book reviews per year, going back to 1983, and is updated monthly.  The database will respond to your search with a list of reviews, not only indicating the pertinent bibliographic information (journal name, volume, date, etc.), but also whether or not the journal in question is owned by the USM libraries.

Academic Search Premier
Another online index, the advantage here is that you may find the complete text of the review online, especially if the book in question is a recent publication.  On the opening page, go to the scroll-down menu labeled"Document Type," then choose "book review." Next, type in the title of your book in the window marked "Find," and then click Search.  The resulting list of reviews will indicate whether or not the full text is available, and also whether or not the journal is owned by the USM libraries.

Literature Resource Center
A collection of several databases, including Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, which selects from "an extensive collection of critical essays on contemporary authors."

But what if my book is in a specialized field?  Are there subject-specific indexes that might be useful?

Many of our online indexes and databases include a way to limit your search to book reviews only. You may have to look under the advanced or expert search options, where you will often find a way to limit your search by "document type."  This field will usually allow you to limit your search to book reviews only.  If not, simply type in the name of the book in the search field.  The following list is just a brief sampling of these subject-specific databases (click here for a complete list):

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage. 

The American Historical Review Online
Reviewing the latest books in the field of academic history; thorough and reliable.

Book Spot
Useful index of online bookreviews from many sources, both print and electronic.

H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online
Focuses on the humanities and social sciences.

The New York Review of Books
The New York Times / Books
Two of the premier book reviews in America.

In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods.

Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement

Citing Online Sources

Citing Sources Within Your Paper

Assembling Your Works Cited List

Style Sheets for Citing Resources (UC Berkeley)

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)

Last update: 04-08-2006
Comments? Ask-A-Librarian