"In accessible, supportive, action-oriented prose, this how-to book contextualizes the writing of scholarly book reviews for scholars and advanced students in the humanities and narrative social sciences. It offers step-by-step instructions for identifying potential books for review and suitable venues for reviews; reading books for scholarly review; and writing scholarly reviews worthy of being considered scholarly contributions in their own right-namely, reviews that offer contextualized arguments, clear analyses, and cogent assessments. Underscoring The Book Review Book is the conviction that scholarly book reviews provide opportunities for exploration of and engagement with disciplinary ideas and conversations. Although the book focuses on single-authored reviews of scholarly monographs, it also offers strategies for reviewing edited volumes, anthologies, and reference works; writing review essays; and coauthoring reviews. The book also addresses how the composition of scholarly book reviews intersects with the craft of writing and how the skills can translate to pre-publication peer reviewing and post-publication book reviewing for popular media, as well as how the writing of scholarly book reviews can (and should) be taught in the college and university classroom"--
"A guide to the art of reviewing scholarly books, with strategies and suggestions. Scholarly book reviews should be enjoyable-both to write and to read. All too often, though, they offer little more than chapter-by-chapter summaries. In this comprehensive handbook, Steven Gump offers an encouraging guide to crafting valuable reviews of scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. Readers learn how to write engaging, respectful reviews that make intellectual contributions of their own. With extensive experience in both writing and editing scholarly book reviews, Gump walks prospective reviewers through the process of selecting a book to review, identifying a venue to publish the review, reading and annotating the book, and writing a review that is tailored to the audience of the target venue, with the possibility of dissemination to popular outlets beyond the core field.Alongside this practical advice, Gump offers a generous philosophy of scholarly book reviewing that considers the roles of bookreviews and the responsibilities of book reviewers within the broader scholarly ecosystem. Readers learn how to uplift the voices and contributions of authors, how to prepare the next generation of reviewers (including undergraduates or graduate students), and how to elevate an unjustly underestimated genre. Ultimately, this essential guide brings into renewed focus the joys of reading scholarly works, engaging with intellectual ideas, and writing incisively"--
A guide to the art of reviewing scholarly books, with strategies and suggestions
Scholarly book reviews should be enjoyableboth to write and to read. All too often, though, they offer little more than chapter-by-chapter summaries. In this comprehensive handbook, Steven Gump offers an encouraging guide to crafting valuable reviews of scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. Readers learn how to write engaging, respectful reviews that make intellectual contributions of their own. With extensive experience in both writing and editing scholarly book reviews, Gump walks prospective reviewers through the process of selecting a book to review, identifying a venue to publish the review, reading and annotating the book, and writing a review that is tailored to the audience of the target venue, with the possibility of dissemination to popular outlets beyond the core field.
Alongside this practical advice, Gump offers a generous philosophy of scholarly book reviewing that considers the roles of book reviews and the responsibilities of book reviewers within the broader scholarly ecosystem. Readers learn how to uplift the voices and contributions of authors, how to prepare the next generation of reviewers (including undergraduates or graduate students), and how to elevate an unjustly underestimated genre. Ultimately, this essential guide brings into renewed focus the joys of reading scholarly works, engaging with intellectual ideas, and writing incisively.
