Chalmer Davee Library - Research Guides



		FINDING BOOK REVIEWS

A book review is an evaluative description of a book that appears in a publication soon after the book is published. It is helpful to remember that of all books published in a given year, only a small percentage are reviewed. The following is a description of how to find a book review, followed by a list of resources that contain book reviews. If you need further assistance, please see a librarian at the Reference Desk.

Step 1: Gather information about the book, including title, author and date of publication.

Step 2: Locate reviews or references to reviews in online databases, paper indexes, and/or websites.

Where to Find Book Reviews

Online Databases

Paper Indexes

Internet Sites

Online Databases

Most databases contain references to book reviews. The databases are available from the Library’s webpage, and most have access for off-campus use as well. Start at the Library’s homepage, then choose “Quick Search" from the SuperSearch menu in the center. This will bring you to a “Subject List” of databases. If you’re unsure which database(s) to use, try one listed below, or go to the Research Help Desk for further assistance.

Choice Reviews Online
CHOICE reviews significant current books and electronic resources of interest to those in higher education. Each year CHOICE publishes more than 6,500 reviews by subject experts. ChoiceReviews.online provides Web access to the entire database of CHOICE reviews published since September 1988. The database is updated monthly, generally at mid-month, with reviews that will be printed in the next monthly issue of CHOICE. Limited to one user at a time.

Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier is a multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for nearly 4,500 journals, including more than 3,700 peer-reviewed titles. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for all 8,250 journals in the collection. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study

America: History and Life
Includes approximately 6,000 citations of book and media reviews from a selection of over one hundred key journals in US and Canadian history and related fields. Covers 1964 to present.

To search for book reviews: Enter title of book in first search box. In the "Limit to:" area, click on the box labeled "book reviews." Click on “search.”

Business Source Elite
Selected full-text from nearly 930 journals covering business, management, economics, banking, finance, accounting and much more. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for nearly 1,570 journals. Full text backfiles go back to January of 1990, while indexing and abstract backfiles go back to January of 1984.

ERIC
ERIC, the Educational Resource Information Center, provides access to education literature and resources. The database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. The database contains more than 1,194,000 records and links to more than 100,000 full-text documents from ERIC.

To search for book reviews: In the “Find” field type the exact title of the book. Scroll down and find the "Document Type" box; in this box, scroll down and highlight "book review." Click on "search."

JSTOR
Full-text backfiles of scholarly journals, some dating from the turn of the century. Does not include the current 3-5 years.

To search for book reviews: Click “search” button on main screen. Click on the "Advanced Search" link. Enter title of book in first search box. In the "limit by" area, check the box that says “review,” then click on “search.”

Lexis-Nexis Academic
Full-text access to news, business, legal, and reference information, some dating back to the 1980s.

To search for book reviews: Type the name of the book in the quick search screen, along with the word "review." For example: inconvenient truth review.

New York Times Archive (1851-2004)
The New York Times Archive offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue. Articles in the database are available in full text as PDF files.

To search for book reviews: Enter name of book in the first search box. Scroll down until you see the "Document Type" limiter. From this pull-down menu, choose “review." Click on "search."

Project Muse
Project MUSE is a collaboration between libraries and publishers providing 100% full-text, online access to high quality humanities, arts, and social sciences journals from scholarly publishers

Select "Advanced Search" tab. Enter name of book in the first search box. Limit Document Type to "review."

ProQuest Newspapers
Selected full-text coverage of major newspapers, plus other important U.S., international and minority interest papers. Covers 1986-present.

To search for book reviews: Enter name of book in the first search box. Scroll down until you see the "Document Type" limiter. From this pull-down menu, choose “book review." Click on "search."

Sociological Abstracts
Abstracts and enhanced citations in the fields of sociology, social sciences and related disciplines. Covers 1963 to present.

To search for book reviews: In the “Find” field type the exact title of the book along with the words book* and review*. For example: raising cain and book* and review*. Click on the “search” button. (NOTE: By including the asterisk, you will retrieve any ending of a word, e.g., review, reviews, reviewer, reviewed, etc.).

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Paper Indexes

For older publications, it may be necessary to consult a paper index. Below are a few of the major indexes, along with their location in the library.

Book Review Digest. 1934 to present. (Reference Index Tables, PN2.B66). Includes references to reviews and selected excerpts.

Book Review Index. 1965 to present. (Reference Index Tables, PN2.B7).

Children’s Literature Review. 1976 to present. (Reference Collection, PN1009.A1 C5139).

The First Anthology: 30 Years of the New York Review of Books. 1963-1993. (Main Stacks, 2nd Floor, AC5.F45).

New York Times Book Review Index. 1896-1970. (Reference Index Tables, PN2.N4).

Opinions and Perspectives from the New York Times Book Review. 1964. (Main Stacks, 2nd Floor, PN710.N48).

Reader’ Guide to Periodical Literature. 1890 to 1984. (Reference Index Tables, AI3.R48).

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Internet sites

There are many book review resources on the Internet. Below is a sampling of sites.

AcqWeb Directory of Book Reviews on the Web
An online site with a collection of links to many general and specific book review sources.

Amazon.com
This online bookstore provides reviews for books from popular resources, as well as from readers. Book reviews will follow purchasing information.

Children’s Literature Book Reviews
List of helpful WWW sites for children’s book reviews.

H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences
An online scholarly review journal searchable by keyword.

Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
Guide to Reviews on the Internet.

Librarians’ Internet Index: Book Reviews
The Librarians' Internet Index is a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 7,800 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries.

For further help locating book reviews, please consult with the Research Help Desk.

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Last modified: January 13 2008.