Book Reviews
Overview
The following is a selected list of resources for finding book reviews. Most databases listed on this bibliography are available in both the Library and to SFSU student, faculty and staff via remote access. For information about the location of, and access to, these databases, go to the Library's home page (http://www.library.sfsu.edu) and select "Databases Find Articles and More."
Some helpful notes:
| 1. | Unless otherwise indicated the indexes listed below are located in the Indexes and Abstracts Area in the Reference Area, 1st floor. |
| 2. | If you do not locate a review in the book review index volume with a date corresponding to the year the book was published, check the volumes for the one or two years after the date of publication. |
| 3. | Aside from the book review indexes listed below, many general and subject specific periodical indexes and abstracts give access to book reviews. Formats vary considerably, so read carefully the introduction to the index to determine if book reviews are included in the coverage and how they are indexed. |
| 4. | When searching most online databases try combining the book title and phrase "book review" as a keyword search. |
| 5. | If you are looking for literary criticism - an in-depth examination of themes rather than an overview and opinion of the book as a whole, refer to the Literary Criticism Research Guide. |
General Book Review Indexes
ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER (EBSCOHOST) [database], dates vary. Use to find reviews of books published after 1990.
ALT-PRESSWATCH [database], dates vary. Includes full text book reviews from the alternative and independent
press.
BOOK REVIEW DIGEST is published monthly with quarterly and annual cumulations. Covers English-language books published in the U.S. and Canada. There is an author and title cumulated index to the annual volumes for 1905-1974. Contains brief excerpts from select reviews. Searchable as a database, 1983- present.
BOOK REVIEW INDEX, 1965- present.
Index to reviews appearing in over 200 popular and scholarly English language periodicals arranged by AUTHOR, with a title index since 1976. Includes more journals than Book Review Digest but does not contain excerpts of book reviews.
COMBINED RETROSPECTIVE INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN SCHOLARLY JOURNALS, 1886-1974. SWR
LEXISNEXIS ACADEMIC [database], dates vary, updated daily.
Includes full-text book reviews from many newspapers and magazines. Search tip: when searching for book reviews, choose "NEWS" from the next screen choose "ARTS AND SPORTS" and type the title of the work along with the author as a keyword seach.
NINTEENTH CENTURY MASTERFILE (POOLE'S PLUS) [database], dates vary. Indices to nineteenth-century newspapers, periodicals, books and more.
PROQUEST NEWSPAPERS [database], 1986- present. Index to articles in news sources (some articles are full text).
*READER'S GUIDE TO PERIODICAL LITERATURE, 1890-present, reviews 1976- present. (Author).
Subject-Specific Book Review Indexes
Many periodical and newspaper indexes include book reviews. Most have separate sections for reviews either at the end of each volume or in the subject index under "book reviews." The following list gives years in which book reviews can be found. Access points are indicated by the words in parenthesis, e.g. (Author).
*ART INDEX, book reviews since 1973. (Author). Searchable as a database, 1984- present.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES CITATION INDEX, 1977- present (by Author in Citation Index; "B" indicates a book review).Searchable as a database, 1975- . Search tip: For the database version (WEB OF SCIENCE), use the FULL Search Option, then select CITED REF Search. Enter the name of the cited author or cited work you wish to review. Search your entry and under the SET LIMITS AND SORT OPTION select "Book Review" as the document type.
FILM LITERATURE INDEX, 1973- present. (Author).
INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN THE HUMANITIES, 1960-1990.
INTERNATIONAL INDEX TO PERFORMING ARTS [database], dates vary.
*HUMANITIES INDEX, 1974- present (Author). Searchable as a database, 1984- present.
MUSIC INDEX, 1949-present (Author).
ABI/INFORM [database], 1971- present.
An index with abstracts and full text for reviews in business magazines and trade journals.
AMERICA: HISTORY AND LIFE [database], 1964- present.
CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S ISSUES [database], 1992-present.
ECONLIT, [database] 1969-present; updated quarterly. Includes reviews (some full-text) of economic books.
*EDUCATION INDEX, 1929-61 and 1969- . (Author). Searchable as a database, 1985 -present.
ETHNIC NEWSWATCH [database], 1990- present.
Includes full-text reviews from ethnic, minority, and Native press. Can search using English or Spanish language.
HISTORICAL ABSTRACTS [database], 1955- present.
SOCIAL SCIENCES CITATION INDEX, 1966- present (by Author in Citation Index; "B" indicates a book review). Searchable as a database, 1956- . Search tip: For the database version (WEB OF SCIENCE), use the FULL Search Option, then select CITED REF Search. Enter the name of the cited author or cited work you wish to review. Search your entry and under the SET LIMITS AND SORT OPTION select "Book Review" as the document type.
*SOCIAL SCIENCES INDEX, 1974- . (Author). Searchable as a database, 1983-present.
SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, [database], 1963-present.
*APPLIED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ABSTRACTS, book reviews since 1976. (Author).
Searchable as a database, 1983- present. An index with abstracts to articles in engineering, science, and technology trade and industry publications.
*BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL INDEX, reviews since 1972. (Author). An index with abstracts to articles in life science periodicals and scholarly journals.
SCIENCE CITATION INDEX EXPANDED [database], 1900- . Search tip: For the database version, (WEB OF SCIENCE) use the FULL Search Option, then select CITED REF Search. Enter the name of the cited author or cited work you wish to review. Search your entry and under the SET LIMITS AND SORT OPTION select "Book Review" as the document type.
*All indexes published by H.W.Wilson have "Book Reviews" at the end of the volumes following the monthly listings.
Selected Internet Sites
Some book distributors and publishers include book reviews on their Internet sites. A good site to explore is:
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com)
Links to other sources of book reviews can be found at:
Yahoo! Arts>Humanities>Literature>Reviews.
Bookwire.com
"Most comprehensive book industry site on the Web." Contains links to reviews.
You may also want to see if individual newspapers and magazines have Web sites that include book reviews:
Internet News Sources (/about/news/news.php)
CG/revised RI 11/01
