Mansfield Library Subject Guides
Locating Reviews: Book, Movie, Drama
This guide cites selected sources in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences that can be used to locate reviews of books, movies or drama productions published in periodicals and newspapers. Reviews allow you to survey contemporary criticisms of a work, to evaluate a work, and to assess summaries of a work's contents.
The following information is necessary to locate a book
review--author, title, and date of publication.
Social Sciences
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Academic Index Full-text. 1982-present. Current book reviews are easily identified by entering a keyword search for the title of a book, movie, or play or for the author's name. This database accesses over 1,000 popular and professional periodicals. The index for the current three years includes full text of articles from hundreds of magazine titles.
Book Review Digest. 1905-present. [Index Table 3 (1960- ) & REF 028 B724 (1905-1959).] Coverage includes reviews of English language fiction and nonfiction from over 80 periodicals. Titles are only included for those fiction books that have had at least four reviews (three since 1991) and for nonfiction books that had at least four reviews. The basic volume is arranged by author with title and subject indexes. A detailed subject list is included under the heading Fiction in the subject index. Excerpts from the cited reviews are included.
Book Review Index. 1965-present. [Index Table 3] Coverage includes reviews in humanities, social sciences, bibliography, and children's literature from nearly 500 periodicals. Reviews are included for books even if only one review is found. The basic volume is arranged by author with a title index since 1976.
New York Times Index. 1851-present. [Index Table 1 (1974- ) & REF 071.471 N532] Coverage is bi-weekly with quarterly and annual cumulations. Reviews are listed under Book Reviews alphabetically by title from 1985-present and under Books prior to 1985. Anthologies follow. Movie reviews appear under Motion Pictures and drama reviews under Theater.
Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. 1890-1899. [REF 050 N7141] Reviews are arranged by author.
Poole's Index to Periodical Literature. 1802-1906. [REF 050 P82] Coverage includes general interest British and American periodicals. Nonfiction titles are arranged by subject. Poetry, fiction, and drama are arranged by primary author.
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. 1900-present. [Index Table 2 (1900- )] Coverage includes a large time frame and a varying number of periodicals. Since 1976, a separate Book Review section is collected in the back of each volume. From 1900-1904, reviews are entered under the author's name. Between 1905-Feb. 1976, few reviews are indexed. Movie reviews are listed under Motion picture reviews--single works. Play reviews are listed under Theater reviews--single works and from Mar 1977-Feb. 1982 under Drama reviews--single works. Before 1977, plays are listed under Dramas--criticism, plots, etc.--single works.
The Times Index. (London) 1785-1790, 1906-present. [REF 072 T583i] Coverage includes The Times, The Sunday Times and Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement, The Times Educational Supplement, The Times Higher Education Supplement. Reviews are listed under Books and include brief abstracts. Movie reviews are listed under Films and film industry--reviews and titles. Drama reviews are under Theatre--reviews and titles.
Wall Street Journal. 1955-present. [REF 071.471 W187] Coverage is monthly with annual cumulations. Reviews are included in Part 2, General News, under the heading Books.
Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900. [REF 052 X H838w] To find a review, scan the table of contents for the year of publication or later. Book titles are usually italicized.
Art Index. 1984-present. Art Index Restrospective 1929-1983. Coverage includes painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, graphic arts, landscape architecture, archaeology, and related subjects. Reviews may be searched by author, title, or subject in the cd-rom. In the paper volumes, they are listed at the end of each issue beginning with Nov. 1973.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index. 1980-1989. [Index Table 2.] Coverage includes nearly 7,000 periodicals in literature, poetry, plays, short stories, music, film, radio, dance, Theatre. Use the Citation Index to locate an author. Titles listed below the author's name are coded B for book reviews. Locate the reviewer's name in the Source Index for the complete citation to the review.
Film Literature Index. 1973-present. [REF 791.4305 F4873] Coverage includes a quarterly subject, author index to international film and television/video literature.
Film Review Index. 1882-1985. (2 vols.) [REF 791.4375 C F487] Films are listed in alphabetical order followed by indexes to directors, year produced and country.
The Music Index. 1949- [REF 780 X M987] Coverage includes over 350 periodicals in a dictionary catalog of subjects and authors. Book Reviews are listed alphabetically by the author under the heading Book Reviews. Music reviews are listed under the Works subheading of composers; performance reviews are arranged by performer; record reviews that discuss the composition recorded are listed under the Works subheading of the composer; and reviews of recordings of particular forms of music are listed by form under the subheading Recordings.
Guide to Critical Reviews. James M. Salem. 3rd ed. [REF 809.2 X S163g 1984] Pt. 1. American drama, 1909-1982. Pt. 2. The Musical, 1909-1989. Includes reviews of 2,149 musicals on the NY. stage.
Humanities Index. 1974-1992. For the period 1982-present duplicate coverage for this title exists in Academic Index. Formerly included in Social Sciences and Humanities Index, 1966-1974; preceded by International Index, 1907-1965. In Humanities Index all reviews may be searched by author, title, or subject. In the paper volumes, book reviews are indexed at the end of each issue since April 1974. Earlier years have sporadic reviews listed by author and subject. Movie reviews are listed under Moving picture reviews--single works from April 1975-Mar 1984. Plays are entered under the author's name with cross reference under Theater reviews--single works.
Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities. 1960-present. [REF 028 I38] Coverage includes English language reviews appearing in 700 international periodicals. This is a good source to use for hard to find reviews.
New York Theatre Critics' Reviews. 1941-present. [REF 792.05 N532] Coverage includes reprints of reviews for Broadway and some off-Broadway productions from selected newspapers and periodicals. Includes an annual index with cumulative title index, 1940-1960.
New York Times Film Reviews. 1932-1968, 1971-1978. [REF Q 791.437 N532] Coverage includes reprints of reviews with indexes to titles, personal names and corporate names.
New York Times Theater Reviews. 1870-1988. [REF Q 792.0973 N532] Coverage includes reprints of reviews with indexes to titles, personal names and companies.
Science Fiction Book Review Index, 1923-1973 & 1974-1979. [REF 809.3876 X H176s & REF 809.3876 X H176g]
American Scientist. 1942-present. [505 A5122] Coverage includes a book review section in the back of each issue.
Applied Science and Technology Index. 1918-present. Coverage includes aeronautics and space science, chemistry, computer technology and applications, construction industry, energy resources and research, engineering, fire and fire prevention, food and food industry, geology, machinery, mathematics, metallurgy, mineralogy, oceanography, petroleum and gas, physics, plastics, textile industry and fabrics, transportation, and other industrial and mechanical arts. Search the cd-rom database by title, author, or subject. Since 1976, a book review section is included at the end of each issue.
Biological Abstracts/RRM. 1927-present. [REF 574 X B6161 (1983- & 574 X B6161 (1927-1982)] Coverage includes a Books Section with non critical synopses of books and biology-related software. Search the cd-rom database by title, author, or subject keyword. Paper index is arranged alphabetically by author or editor.
Biological and Agricultural Index. 1916-present. A continuation of the Agricultural Index. REF 630.5 X B615 (1916-92). Search the database by title, author, or subject keyword. Paper index includes a book review section at the back of each issues beginning with 1975/76. Prior to 1975, reviews are listed under Book Reviews.
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. 1969-1995. [REF 610.7305 X C971] Also available at St. Patrick's Hospital Library. 1969-present. A continuation of Cumulative Index to Nursing Literature. From 1969-1983, books reviews appear in a separate list at the back of each issue. From 1992-, book reviews are not indexed.
PsycINFO. 1927-present. Coverage includes non evaluative summaries of literature in psychology and related disciplines. Search by title, author, or subject keyword. Books and Book Chapters are included from 1987-present.
PsycBOOKS. 1987-1990. REF 150 X P9741
Science Books and Films. 1965-present. [REF 500 X S416] A continuation of Science Books. Coverage includes a cumulated annual index at the end of each volume beginning with 1975-76.
Science Citation Index. 1978-present. [Index Table 4 (1990- ) & REF 500 X S4162 (1978-89)] Coverage is international in scope including all fields of sciences and technology. Primarily used to locate current references to earlier publications. This title is divided into three sections: Citation Index, Source Index, and Subject Index. Use the Citation Index to search for the author. Book reviews are coded B. Search the reviewer's name in the Source Index for the complete citation to the review.
America: History and Life. 1964-present. Coverage includes scholarly publications on the history and culture of the US. and Canada. Search the database by title, author, or subject keyword. The paper index is issued five times per year. Issues 1-4 include abstracts, reviews and dissertation citations. Issue 5 is an index. Book reviews are coded B. From 1974-1988, use part B for a list of book reviews arranged by author and title.
Business Index Full-text. 1982-present. Coverage includes over 1200 business-related periodicals. Search by title, author, or subject keyword.
Business Periodicals Index. 1958/59-present. [Index Table 7 & REF 650.5 X B979] Book reviews are listed in a separate section in the back of each issue.
ERIC. 1966-present. Search database by title, author, or subject keyword.
Historical Abstracts. 1955-present. Coverage includes world history and related social sciences and humanities from 1450 to the present, excluding the US and Canada. Search the database by title, author, or subject. Paper indexes include an annual index. Reviews are coded Rev.
Mental Measurements Yearbook. 1940-present. [REF 371.26 X B967m] This is a standard source for reviews of tests and books. Part II is a classified list of books with many long excerpts from reviews. A name index includes book authors and reviewers.
Social Sciences Citation Index. 1969-present. [Index Table 2 (1988- ) & REF 300 X S6783 (1969-87)] This title is used primarily to locate current references to earlier publications and is published in three sections: Citation Index, Source Index and Subject Index. Book reviews are included in the Citation Index, arranged by author, and identified with B. Identify the reviewer and locate that name in the Source Index for a complete citation to the review.
Social Sciences Index. 1974-1992. [REF 300 X S6782] Since 1982, duplicate coverage of this title exists in Academic Index Full-text (LaserNet Databases). Formerly included in Social Sciences and Humanities Index. Preceded by International Index (REF 050 X S678). Book reviews are listed by author at the end of each issue beginning in April 1974.
Compiled by: Sue Samson, Humanities Librarian