Finding Book Reviews
Finding reviews in periodical databases
Reviews of books are included in many of our periodical databases. Consider the topic of the book, and then go to the Databases by Subject section on the Tutt Library home page, and choose the subject or subjects that best represent the content of your book.
As a starting place, try searching in Academic Search Complete, our database that covers a myriad of subjects.
You might also want to try a more subject-specific database. For instance, a book on the topic of the science of global warming would most likely be reviewed in journals found in a science database such as ScienceDirect. If a review of a novel is needed, it is best to search for reviews in our literature-oriented databases, such as the MLA Bibliography
Search tips
- Type in the title of the book and the author’s last name in the KEYWORD search box.
- On the search screen, you may be able to limit your results to the material type “book reviews.”
Cautions
- Do not search for the author of your book as “AUTHOR” in the pull-down search menu, as your results will always be zero. In this case, the author refers to the author of the review.
- In the same vein, do not search for the title of the book as “TITLE” in the pull-down menu, as this refers to the title of the article about the review. (In a nutshell, always stick with searching by KEYWORD when looking for reviews.)
Other places to search
Print book review Indexes
If you have tried the online periodical databases without luck, you might want to use the following print indexes. If the book is old, the Book Review Digest might be particularly helpful because it covers books published back to 1906.
Book Review Index (Covers the dates 1965 to the current)
Located in Reference collection, 1st floor lobby
Z1035 .A1 B62
Book Review Digest (Covers the dates 1906-1982)
Located in the Reference Index Overflow area, 2nd floor north
Z1219 .C96
Newspapers
You can search for book reviews in major U.S. and international newspapers. We have the following newspapers online back to their first issues:
Atlanta Constitution (Historical)
- Coverage: 1868 – 1929. “The Atlanta Constitution, historically known as ‘the voice of the new south.’ Contains first hand accounts of the Reconstruction period and post-war South” to early twentieth century. Full image and full text newspaper articles.
Chicago Tribune (Historical)
- Coverage: 1849 – 1985. The Chicago Tribune is one of the nation’s oldest continuously published newspapers. Source for prohibition debates, mercantile development of the midwest, westward expansion, Settlement House Movement – Jane Addams, Al Capone. Full image and full text newspaper articles.
Los Angeles Times (Historical)
- Coverage 1881 – 1985).
New York Times (Historical)
- Coverage 1851 – three years ago
Current issues of these newspapers can be searched in the Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.
Where to find reviews for pleasure reading, rather than research
CC librarians and friends contribute to Bookends, a book review blog. We also subscribe to BookBrowse, a database of in-depth reviews and read-alike suggestions that’s designed to be a fun browsing experience for readers. CC students, faculty, and staff can sign up for bimonthly newsletters containing Bookbrowse’s latest selections. Many other enticing review sites can be found on the library’s Readers’ Advisory page.