How to Find Book Reviews
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General Tips
To locate a book review, first determine the book’s publication date. If you don't have the publication date, search the Library Catalogue or WorldCat, or
ask a librarian for help.
After you have identified the book's original publication date, select appropriate indexes to search. Be sure that the indexes cover the time period in which the book was published.
Finally, remember that not every book is reviewed.
To locate criticism and analysis of a literary work, consult one of the sources listed on the Indexes & Databases pages, especially those for English, French, German, Russian, or Spanish.
Reviews of Creative Works
Including Popular Fiction and Nonfiction
Starting Points | Other Sources
Starting Points
- Book Review Digest & Book Review Digest Retrospective
(1905 to present) Indexes and excerpts book reviews from over 70 magazines and newspapers.
Search syntax:
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- Book Review Index
(1965 to present) Indexes reviews of over 2 million books, periodicals, books-on-tape, and other publications; the reviews are from a variety of sources, including popular magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals.
Note: Up to 3 people may search this database at any one time; if you are unable to login because this limit has been reached, please wait a few minutes and try again.
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use an exclamation point !.
Other Sources
- Academic Search Premier
(1975 to present) Includes citations to reviews in popular periodicals, some scholarly journals, and several national newspapers.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the phrase "book review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Alternative Press Index. College Park, MD: Alternative Press Centre, 1969- .
Library has: 1995 to present
Reference Index Area R 050 A466
Indexes book reviews in periodicals such as The Advocate, The Nation, The Utne Reader, and other "radical" or "alternative" periodicals.
To find book reviews: Start searching in the volume covering the year that the book was published; at the back of the volume, there is a section for "Book Reviews," which is arranged alphabetically by book author. Some reviews also appear in the main part of the index, but the most complete list is in the back.
- Contemporary Women's Issues
(1992 to present) Includes citations to book reviews from mainstream periodicals, "grey" literature, and the alternative press on topics related to women.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then in the drop-down menu for "Article Type," choose "Book Review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: automatic.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- Historical Newspapers: The New York Times
(1851-2001): Provides the full text of the New York Times for these years; page images can be downloaded as pdf files.
To find book reviews: on the Advanced Search screen, enter key words from the title of the book. Then click on the "More Search Options" tab toward the bottom of the page and from the "Article Type" drop-down menu, choose "Review."
Note: To find reviews in the New York Times after 2001, use LexisNexis Academic.
- LexisNexis Academic
(Approx. 1980 to present) Includes the full text of book reviews from major national and international newspapers, such as the
Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Boston Globe, The Daily Telegraph, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Times (London); also includes periodicals like Kirkus Reviews and Publisher's Weekly.
To find book reviews: do a "Guided News Search." In the first drop down menu, "News Category," choose "Arts & Sports News." In the second drop-down menu, "News Sources," choose "Book, movie, music, and play reviews." Enter key words from the title of the book and then adjust the date range as appropriate.
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an exclamation point.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use an asterisk *.
- OmniFile Full Text Mega
(1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.
Note: OmniFile contains all of the information (1982 to present) in six Wilson databases, including Readers' Guide Abstracts. If you need to find a review of a creative work published before the early 1980s, search the full Readers' Guide database, which goes back to 1890.
To find book reviews: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
Search syntax:
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- Periodicals Index Online
(c. 1770-1995) Includes book reviews and criticism.
To find book reviews: enter the title of the book, and then at the right-hand side of the search page, select the "book reviews" radio button and deselect the "articles" radio button.
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- Readers' Guide Abstracts
(1890 to present) Indexes book reviews appearing in English-language popular magazines. Particularly useful for its retrospective coverage.
To find book reviews:
- Books published prior to 1976: enter the author's name and, if necessary, key words from the title of the book. Note that most reviews prior to 1976 were included in Book Review Digest, another H.W. Wilson index.
- Books published from 1976 to the present:
- Search strategy 1: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
- Search strategy 2: enter key words from the title and then add the phrase "book reviews."
Search syntax:
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Centenary Archive
(1902-1990) Contains the Times Literary Supplement Index as well as page images from the TLS (1920-1990). Includes more than 250,000 reviews; in addition, the Archive provides information about anonymous contributors to the TLS, information that does not appear in the print version of the TLS Index.
To find book reviews: enter the name of the author and title of the work.
Reviews of Scholarly Books
Step 1: Search Starting Points
Step 2: Search Sources Covering Multiple Disciplines
Step 3: Search a Subject-Specific Index:
Anthropology | Art | Business | Economics | Education | English | History | Philosophy | Political Science | Religion | Sociology
Step 1: Starting Points
- Academic Search Premier
(1975 to present) Includes citations to reviews in popular periodicals, some scholarly journals, and several national newspapers.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the phrase "book review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- OmniFile Full Text Mega
(1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.
Note: OmniFile contains all of the information (1982 to present) in six Wilson databases: Education Abstracts, General Science Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, Readers' Guide Abstracts, Social Sciences Abstracts, and Wilson Business Abstracts.
If you need to find a review of a humanities or social sciences book published before the early 1980s, search the full Humanities Abstracts or Social Sciences Abstracts databases, which go back to 1907.
To find book reviews: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
Search syntax:
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- JSTOR
Provides the full text of older issues of scholarly journals; does not include articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book, select appropriate disciplines or journals, and then, at the bottom of the search page, under the heading "Refine your search," limit by the type "Reviews."
- Project Muse
(c. mid-1990s to present) Contains full-text book reviews from a collection of journals published by university and scholarly presses.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then, towards the bottom of the search page, limit your search by the type "Review."
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Step 2: Search Relevant Sources Covering Multiple Disciplines
- Contemporary Women's Issues
(1992 to present) Includes citations to book reviews from mainstream periodicals, "grey" literature, and the alternative press on topics related to women.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then in the drop-down menu for "Article Type," choose "Book Review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: automatic.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- General Science Abstracts
(1984 to present) Indexes book reviews appearing in English-language periodicals in a variety of science disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, food and nutrition, genetics, mathematics, medicine, physics, and zoology.
To find book reviews: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
Search Syntax
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- HAPI: Hispanic American Periodicals Index
(1970 to present) Indexes reviews of books on topics related to Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the United States-Mexico border, and Hispanics in the United States. Covers the fields of anthropology, archaeology, banking and finance, business, drama, economics, ethnography, folklore, geography, history, literature, philosophy, politics, religion, and women's studies.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and add the phrase "book review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: automatic.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- Humanities Abstracts
(1907 to present) Indexes book reviews from a variety of English-language journals in the humanities.
To find book reviews:
- Books published prior to 1983: enter the author's name and, if necessary, key words from the title of the book and add the phrase "book review."
- Books published from 1983 to the present:
- Search strategy 1: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
- Search strategy 2: enter key words from the title and then add the phrase "book review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- Index Islamicus
(1906 to present) Indexes book reviews, articles, conference papers, and essays on Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world; also includes citations to books published since 1976 on Islamic topics.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=review.
Example: arab social life and pt=review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities
Reference Index Area R 028.1 I38
(1960-1991) Indexes book reviews in scholarly humanities journals.
No longer published.
- Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance
(c. 1842 to present for some titles) Includes citations to reviews of books on topics related to the time period 400 - 1700 CE.
To find book reviews: choose the "Advanced Search" option, enter the title and/or author of the book, and from the "type" drop-down menu near the bottom of the screen, choose "Review."
- Periodicals Index Online
(c. 1770-1995) Includes book reviews and criticism.
To find book reviews: enter the title of the book, and then at the right-hand side of the search page, select the "book reviews" radio button and deselect the "articles" radio button.
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- Social Sciences Abstracts
(1907 to present) Indexes book reviews on all social sciences subjects, including history, political science, international relations, law, economics, area studies, gender studies, anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
To find book reviews:
- Books published prior to 1983: enter the author's name and, if necessary, key words from the title of the book and add the phrase "book review."
- Books published from 1983 to the present:
- Search strategy 1: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
- Search strategy 2: enter key words from the title and then add the phrase "book review."
Search Syntax
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
Step 3: Search A Subject-Specific Index
- Anthropology
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Social Sciences Abstracts.
- Anthropology Plus
(Late 19th century to present) Indexes journal articles, edited books, commentaries, and reports in the fields of biological, cultural, linguistic, physical, and social anthropology.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the word "review." There is not currently a way to limit specifically to book reviews, so your search may retrieve some unrelated records.
Search Syntax
Truncation: use a question mark ?.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
- Anthropology Review Database (ARD)
Contains the full text of refereed reviews by ARD reviewers as well as citations to reviews in American Antiquity and the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and links to online publications.
- Reviews in Anthropology (1974 to present)
Little Library Current & Bound Periodicals
Each issue contains reviews of recently-published books.
- Art
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Humanities Abstracts.
- Art Abstracts
(1929 to present) Indexes book reviews from art journals and yearbooks. Subjects covered include art history, archaeology, architecture, decorative art, film, folk art, graphic art, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, museology, photography, and sculpture.
To find book reviews:
- Books published prior to 1984: enter key words from the title of the book and add the phrase "book reviews."
- Books published from 1984 to the present:
- Search Strategy 1: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the phrase "book reviews."
- Search Strategy 2: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book, leaving the default search type as "All - Smart Search"; in the second entry box, type the phrase "book review" and change the drop-down menu to "document type" (note that the "book review" document type only works consistently for post-1984 films).
Search Syntax
Truncation: use a question mark ?.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use an asterisk *.
- Business
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases.
- Business Source Premier
(1965 to present) Indexes book reviews in business-related scholarly journals, trade journals, periodicals, and newspapers.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the phrase "book review."
Search syntax:
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Economics
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Social Sciences Abstracts.
- EconLIT
(1969 to present ) Indexes book reviews, journal articles, doctoral dissertations, books, and conference proceedings in fields related to economics.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=book review.
Example: sustainable development and pt=book review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Education
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Social Sciences Abstracts.
- Education Abstracts
(1983 to present) Indexes book reviews from English-language education periodicals; covers the fields of educational technology, elementary education, higher education, library science, literacy standards, multicultural education, religious education, school administration, special education, teacher education, and student counseling, among others.
To find book reviews: in the first entry box, enter key words from the title of the book; keep the default search type "All - Smart Search." In the second entry box, type "book review" and choose "document type" from the drop-down menu.
Search Syntax
Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?.
- ERIC
(1966 to present) Indexes book reviews, articles, reports, conference proceedings, and curriculum guides in education and related areas.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=072.
Example: information literacy and pt=072
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- English
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Humanities Abstracts.
- Annual Bibliography of English Language & Literature (ABELL)
Reference R 016.82 M689a
(1920 to present) Includes citations to reviews of books in the fields of English language and English literatures; also covers related subjects such as film and cultural studies.
- Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Centenary Archive
(1902-1990) Contains the Times Literary Supplement Index as well as page images from the TLS (1920-1990). Includes more than 250,000 reviews; in addition, the Archive provides information about anonymous contributors to the TLS, information that does not appear in the print version of the TLS Index.
To find book reviews: enter the name of the author and title of the work.
- World Shakespeare Bibliography Online
(1971 to present) Includes citations to book reviews as well as articles, books, and audiovisual materials related to Shakespeare; also includes performance reviews and film reviews.
To find book reviews: do an advanced search; enter any appropriate title keywords or author names and then in the "document type" drop-down menu, choose "book monograph." Reviews are listed in the records for particular books.
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks "".
- History
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Humanities Abstracts.
- America: History & Life
(1964 to present) Indexes reviews of scholarly books related to the history of the U.S. and Canada from pre-history to the present.
To find book reviews: in the "Keywords" box, enter key words from the book's title and then limit your search to "book reviews."
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- HAPI (Hispanic American Periodicals Index) Online
(1970 to present) Indexes reviews of books on the history, culture, and politics of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, and the United States-Mexico border. Also covers works related to Hispanics in the United States.
To find book reviews: in the "Keyword" box, enter key words from the book's title and add the phrase "book review."
Search Syntax
Truncation: automatic.
Phrase searching: automatic.
- Historical Abstracts
(1954 to present) Contains citations to reviews of scholarly books related to world history from 1450 to the present, excluding the history of the U.S. and Canada.
To find book reviews: in the "Keywords" box, enter key words from the book's title and then limit your search to "book reviews."
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " ".
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance
(c. 1842 to present for some titles) Includes citations to reviews of books on topics related to the time period 400 - 1700 CE.
To find book reviews: choose the "Advanced Search" option, enter the title and/or author of the book, and from the "type" drop-down menu near the bottom of the screen, choose "Review."
- Reviews in American History (1973 to present)
Little Library Current & Bound Periodicals
1973-1994: JSTOR
1995 to present: Project Muse
Each issue contains reviews of recently-published books.
- Philosophy
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Humanities Abstracts.
- Philosopher's Index
(1940 to present) Indexes book reviews, books, and journal articles in philosophy and related fields.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=book review.
Example: sublime understanding and pt=book review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Political Science
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Social Sciences Abstracts.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
(1975 to present) Indexes book reviews from over 1,000 political science journals. Subjects covered include comparative politics, economic policy, international relations, and political economy, among others. International in scope.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=review.
Example: new diplomacy and pt=review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Religion
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Humanities Abstracts.
- ATLA Religion Database
(1949 to present) Indexes book reviews on all aspects of religion and theology.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=review.
Example: Reading Isaiah and pt=review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Sociology
Be sure to search the Starting Points databases as well as Social Sciences Abstracts.
- Sociological Abstracts
(1963 to present) Indexes book reviews in sociology and related fields, including anthropology, economics, education, philosophy, political science, and social psychology.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=book review.
Example: American diversity and pt=book review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
- Social Services Abstracts
(1980 to present) Indexes book reviews, articles, and doctoral dissertations in the fields of social work and human services, including social welfare, social policy, and community development.
To find book reviews: enter key words from the title of the book and then add the following: pt=book review.
Example: foster care and pt= book review
Search Syntax
Truncation: use an asterisk *.
Phrase searching: automatic.
Wildcard: use a question mark ?.
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