Finding Book Reviews with Indexes

To find a review you should know:

• The full name of the book's author
• The exact title of the book
• The year the book was first published

Look for a citation to a review in any of the various titles listed below. Look in the appropriate index under the year your book was published. However, since a review may appear several months after a book was published, be cautious about limiting your search to one year.

Unless noted otherwise, print resources may be found on the second floor of JCKL. This list is selective and not exhaustive.

General Indexes :: Business and Economics :: Education :: Humanities ::
Social Sciences :: Sciences :: Popular Periodicals

Library Databases :: Various EBSCO datatabases as well as Lexis Nexis are good places with both book review citations and book reviews

Book Review Index :: 1965 to date. Citations to reviews in hundreds of English langauge journals

Book Review Digest :: 1905 to date. Contains excerpts of book reviews from some of the more popular magazines. Within each yearly volume, alphabetical arrangement is by reviewed author's last name. There are cumulated indexes to this title.

Books in Print Patron :: Online resource that contains some reviews

Choice :: Online searchable database, 1988 to date. Also available in print from 1964 to 2004.

JSTOR :: Online database including older book reviews from a variety of disciplines

Nineteenth Century Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-1899, with Supplementary Indexing, 1900-1922

Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature :: 1802 to 1906

Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature :: 1900 to 2001

Business Periodicals Index :: 1958 to 1997, There is a book reviews section at the back of each volume.

Journal of Economic Literature :: 1969 to present; also available online

Wall Street Journal Index :: 1985 to 2001; Reviews appear under "Books--Authors" and "Books--Titles" in the General News section

Children’s Book Review Index :: 1975 to Present

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database :: Reviews of children's books and other media

Education Full Text :: Indexes periodicals, yearbooks, and books relating to education. Full text coverage begins in 1996

Education Index :: 1940 to 2001; Look in the "book reviews" section at the end of each volume

ERIC :: Abstracts and indexes journal articles and research reports in education, 1966-present; under publication type, choose "Book/Product Reviews"

Psychological Abstracts :: 1927 to 1967 and 1969 to 1997

PsychInfo :: Abstracts to psychological literature from 1886-present; includes psychological aspects of related disciplines; contains a field for "Reviewed Item"

Art Full Text :: Indexes articles relating to the fine arts, as well as art pictures in periodicals; In drop down menu, one choice is "Book Reviews"

Art Index :: 1929 to 2004; Look in the back under "Book Reviews"

ATLA Religion Database :: Indexes periodicals, book reviews, and essays; focus is Christian religion and theology; 1949 to date, In publication type, choose "Review"

Humanities Index :: 1974 to 2001; Look in the back under "Book Reviews"

Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities :: 1961 to 1990; Includes art, architecture, biography, drama, dance, folklore, history, language, literature, music, philosophy, and travel

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts: LLBA :: 1984 to 2005

Music Index :: 1949 to present; Book reviews are in the body of each index

Philosopher’s Index :: 1967 to Present; There is a "Book Reviews" section in the back

RILM: Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale :: 1967 to 1998

America: History and Life :: Indexes US and Canadian history, humanities, and social science journals; Click "Book Reviews" box

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals :: 1996 to 1974

Gender Watch :: Women's issues from an international perspective; interdisciplinary; 1970 to date

Index to Legal Periodicals :: 1952 to 1994; There is a book reviews section at the end of each volume

Social Sciences Full Text :: Indexes journals from anthropology, family studies, political science, sociology, international relations, and women's studies, 1983-present; in the drop down menu, one choice is "Books Reviewed"

Social Sciences Index :: 1974 to 1994; There is a book review section at the end of each volume

General Science Index :: 1978 to 1993; There is a book reviews section at the end of each volume

The following periodical titles have only book reviews. All are indexed in Book Review Index:

Booklist :: 1907 to Present

Choice :: 1964 to Present

Kirkus Reviews :: 1969 to Present

Library Journal :: 1914 to Present

New York Times Book Review

New York Review of Books :: 1969 to Present

TLS, the Times Literary Supplement :: 1969 to Present

Alternatively, search for book reviews of a book through journals that cover the same subject that the book does. Or search for criticism or biographical information about the book's author. Or consider an Internet search. 

For more help in finding reviews, ask at the Reference Desk .

SW
12-19-2007
JE