Book reviews can be very useful in the research process. They often provide a summary of the book's contents, comparisons to other books in the field, and critical evaluation of the work. They vary in length from one paragraph to several pages, and may be found in popular and scholarly sources.
If a book is not available in Geisel Library, book reviews can help you determine whether you should request the book through Interlibrary Loan.
The most important thing to know about the book when you are searching for a review is when it was published; most reviews appear within a year of two of publication. To determine year of publication, search the Library catalog or Worldcat.
Academic Search Premier
A broad index providing abstracts and some full-text for a range of academic areas.
To find reviews, combine keyword, author, or title with "book review."
Alternative Press Index
"Indexes journals covering cultural, economic, political & social change." To find book reviews,
use the Descriptor Phrase "book reviews" and combine it with a keyword, author, or title of a book. (1991 - present)
Choice Reviews Online
"CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries reviews significant current books and electronic media
of interest to those in higher education.
Published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library
Association, ... Choice's primary mission is to assist librarians who build collections at the undergraduate
level by providing concise but critical reviews of current scholarly books and electronic resources."
Communication & Mass Media Complete
"Communication & Mass Media Complete provides the most robust, quality research solution in areas related to communication and mass media. This database originated with the acquisition and subsequent merging of two popular databases in the fields of communication and mass media studies -- CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association (NCA)), and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Pennsylvania State University). Communication & Mass Media Complete provides an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and educators interested in any and all aspects of communication and mass media."
To find reviews, type Book Review in the search box and keywords, author, or title in the second search box.
H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Use the search box on the main page to search by author, title, or keyword. (1993 - present)
ITER
Iter's bibliography covers all literature pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700).
Book reviews from 107 scholarly journals, covering 1943 - present, are included. To find book reviews, combine the word Review with the author's name or words from the title. Journal list
January Magazine
An online magazine containing book reviews, book excerpts, and interviews with authors. There is a simple search box, and the site can be browsed by author or areas such as biography, fiction, non-fiction, and art & culture. Also includes children's books, cookbooks, crime fiction, science fiction, and bestsellers.
(1997 - present)
JSTOR
A large collection of back issues of major journals in the humanities and
social sciences, including Annual Review of Sociology, Nineteenth-Century Literature,
Philosophical Quarterly, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Coverage is
generally from the beginning of publication to within 5 years of the current issue.
To find reviews, type keywords, author, or title in the search box, select the discipline by checking off the appropriate boxes, then deselect articles and select reviews in the Refine Your Search box.
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
Select 'General News' as the News Category and 'Major Papers' as the News Source to search reviews from newspapers such as the New York Times. Combine "book review" with keyword, author, or title. Be sure to change the date range if you are seeking reviews of books from more than 6 months ago.
New York Times (1851-2003)
Type review in the search box and select article type from the pull down menu. Use the second search box for your search terms (keyword, author or title).
Access restricted to Saint Anselm College Community.
Project MUSE
Select the Search option, then choose "Advanced Search." Search using author or title words, and limit by Type: Review. Coverage may go back as far as 1993, but in most instances begins in 1999.
Book review digest
1905-2000
Provides citations to and brief summaries of book reviews in 75 journals. Search under the author's last name.
Book review index
1965-1992
Provides citations to book reviews in hundreds of journals. Search under the author's last name.
Gray, Richard A.
A guide to book review citations: a bibliography of sources
Gen. Coll. Z 1035 .A1 G7
Marcuse, Michael J.
A reference guide for English studies
Ref. P R56 .M37 1990
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in art can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Academic Search Premier
Contains the full-text of The Art Book from 1997 through one year ago. To find reviews, combine keyword, author, or title with "book review" and JN "Art Book".
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in classics can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
APh: L'Annee Philologique
To find book reviews, choose the search type Other criteria - Word(s) in the title. In the search box, type in the name of the book. Normally there will be one result. Pull up the full record. Book review citations will appear after the double line (||) and are separated by a single line (|).
(1959 - present)
User Guide
Journal list (English-language titles only)
Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Publishes reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies. From the main page, select Archives. Type in keywords from the title or author's name. Combine words with AND.
(1990 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in economics and business can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Business Source Premier
Combine the phrase "Book Review" with keyword, author, or title.
EconLit
Provides citations for journal articles, books, and working papers on economics. To find reviews, type in a keyword, author, or title into the search box and select Book Review Text from the pull down menu.
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in education can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
ERIC
"The world's largest source of education information" contains book reviews from many journals, including Educational Researcher, whose book reviews are freely accessible online. To search for book reviews in ERIC, combine keyword, author, or title with PT ("Book/Product Reviews") in the search box.
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in health care can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Health Source
Search using keywords from the title and/or author to find reviews of books.
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in history can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
America: History and Life
Focuses on United States and Canadian history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. To search for book reviews,
combine keyword, author, or title with review in the Keyword Search Box. (1964 - present) Journal list
Handbook of Latin American Studies
To find book reviews, click on "Expert Search Page" and search using author name, title, or a combination of the two.
"The Handbook is a bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by scholars.
Edited by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, the multidisciplinary Handbook alternates
annually between the social sciences and the humanities...Works reviewed include books, journal articles,
book chapters, and conference papers in the disciplines of Anthropology (including Archaeology,
Ethnohistory and Ethnology), Art, Economics, Geography, Government and Politics, History, International
Relations, Literature, Music, Philosophy, and Sociology. In addition, some of the earlier
volumes included other disciplines such as Cartography, Film, Folklore, Law, and so forth." (1935 - present)
List of Journal Abbreviations
Historical Abstracts
Covers world history from 1450 to the present (excluding North America). To find book reviews, combine the phrase "review article" with
keyword, author, or title in the Keyword Search Box. Journal list
The Medieval Review
Provides reviews of current work in all areas of Medieval Studies. From the main page, click Search, then Basic. Use keywords from the title or author's name to find reviews. (1993 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in humanities can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Provides indexing to the world's leading arts and humanities journals and selections from social science
and science journals. To find book reviews, type book review in the search box and select "Article Type Phrase" from the pull down menu. In the second box, type keyword, author, or title. (1980 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in philosophy can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Philosopher's Index
The premier international resource in philosophy, this database contains over 35,000 book reviews.
To find reviews, type PT=(book review) in the search box and combine it with keyword, author, or title. Book reviews cover titles published as far back as the 1920's.
Journal list
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in politics can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Law & Politics Book Review
The Law and Politics Book Review is sponsored by the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association. Almost every book about the legal process and politics is reviewed. Nearly all reviews are available within six months of receipt of the book. The review presently remains available for an indefinite period on the Review's World Wide Web home page. This database can be searched or browsed. (1991 - present)
NationalJournal.com - Reviews
"Every other Thursday, NationalJournal.com reviews books that could serve as valuable tools to anyone that works in -- or just wants to know more about -- politics." This source can be searched or browsed. (2001 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in psychology can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
PsycINFO
This database from the American Psychological Association supplies indexing and abstracts from 1887 to the present for more than 1,700 journals. To locate book reviews, type (ZX "JOURNAL REVIEW-BOOK") into the Keyword search box and combine it with author, title, or keyword.
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in religion can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Catholic Periodical & Literature Index
CPLI provides indexing to periodicals, books, newspapers, and papal documents dealing expressly with a practice of Catholic faith and lifestyle. To locate book reviews, type (ZT "BOOK REVIEW") into the Keyword search box and combine it with author, title, or keyword. (1981 - present)
Religion Database (ATLA)
Compiled by the American Theological Library Association, this database covers all religious traditions; strongest coverage is for materials dealing with the Judeo-Christian tradition. To find book reviews type a keyword, author, or title into the search box and select review from the pull down menu for publication type. (1949 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in science and technology can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
E-STREAMS: Electronic reviews of Science & Technology References covering Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine and Science
"A collaborative venture between H. Robert Malinowsky of the University of Illinois at Chicago and YBP Library Services"...each issue contains 30+ reviews, covering new titles in Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine and Science. Each review is signed, and includes the email address of the reviewer. The reviews feature short TOCs, a list of contributors and bibliographic information."
Can be browsed or searched. (1998 - present)
In addition to the following subject-specific resources, book reviews in sociology can be found in many of the general sources listed above.
Contemporary Women's Issues
"Indexes books, journals, newsletters, and research reports from non-profit groups
and government and international agencies providing global information on women in over 150 countries." To find reviews, type book review in the search box and select Article Type Phrase from the pull down menu. In the second search box type in keyword, author, or title.
SocINDEX
SocINDEX with Full Text is a comprehensive sociology research database containing indexing for thousands of books reviews, including those in the journal Contemporary Sociology. To locate book reviews, type (ZT "BOOK REVIEW") into the Keyword search box and combine it with author, title, or keyword.
