Book review is an article published in a newspaper or periodical that announces the publication of a new book, tells what it is about, and evaluates it. The value of a book review depends on the knowledge and ability of the reviewer and on the reviewer’s fairness in judging the book. For this reason, the reviewer should have a broad knowledge of the subject of the book under review, the ability to analyze a piece of writing, and the skills to communicate clearly (see Criticism).
After stating the title, author, publisher, and price of the book, the reviewer should tell what the book is about and why it is judged to be worthy or unworthy. The reviewer should also discuss its merits and defects and offer a judgment as to how well the author succeeded in accomplishing his or her objectives.
On smaller newspapers and periodicals, one or two people usually handle book reviews. On larger ones, a full-time literary editor assigns most reviews to experts in particular fields. Few newspapers are able to review more than a handful of the books published each week. Even a large newspaper supplement, such as The New York Times Book Review, can review or briefly mention only a few thousand of the more than 15,000 general books that are published annually in the United States.
Many specialized publications review or list books of interest in their fields. The specialized publication offers one of the best routes into larger publications for a potential reviewer.
