BOOK REVIEW SUGGESTIONS
Begin with complete bibliographical information: author's name, full title, series name (if the book is part of a series), place of publication, publisher, and date. Most reviewers even add the number of pages. So, for example, "Susan Reynolds, Fiefs and Vassals: The Medieval Evidence Reinterpreted. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. Pp. xii, 544." All this material is presented single-spaced, justified to the left margin, and serves as a sort of title for the review. Note that you do not invert the name of the author if you are reviewing a single volume: names belong in their proper order unless a change is required by some good reason such as bibliographical alphabetization.
The first part of a review tends to be descriptive because a reader needs to
know immediately what is being discussed. Sometimes a reviewer starts with the
thesis of the book: What is the author trying to prove? What arguments support
the thesis? What are the sources of evidence and how is this evidence used?
Sometimes a reviewer begins with the author: is he or she an "authority"? what
background? what major works? A reviewer may want to signal stylistic qualities
and special format features (maps, illustrations, footnotes, bibliography,
etc.). In some journals featuring short reviews, such as Choice, book
reports are almost entirely descriptive.
A good scholarly review, however, is also analytical. It
tells its readers whether a particular book should be treasured or trashed. To do so
the reviewer praises and criticizes. Sometimes judgments are part of the
initial description; sometimes the book is described first and then the reviewer
adds a subsequent paragraph or two showing how the project succeeds or fails.
The closing sentences often summarize the analysis.
When you review books, even if you are not an expert on the subject matter,
you can still do more than simply describe an author's project. Are the thesis
and its supporting arguments clearly presented? Is the methodology logical and
consistent? Is all the relevant evidence fairly used? Are you convinced? To get
expert help, do not hesitate to see what other reviewers have done.
However, try to consult two or more reviews, not just one, because a single
authoritative-sounding review may lead you to believe that its perspective
represents the only way to read and evaluate a particular book; two reviews that
offer different viewpoints and criticisms can be much more helpful.