GUIDELINES FOR BOOK REVIEWS

1.      Your review should be between 1500 and 2000 words long.  If you are reviewing two books, you should take 2000 to 2500 words.

2.      Be sure to evaluate authors fairly in terms of what they aim to do and how well they succeed in doing it.  Avoid special pleading and criticism that could be construed as personal attack.  Refrain from polemic.

3.      Likewise, avoid effusive and excessive praise.  Refrain from writing sentences such as “this richly textured and densely argued book will dominate its field for generations to come.”

4.      Please double-space the entire review (here and throughout I assume the use of a standard word processing program--preferably Microsoft Word, with the file saved in .doc form to avoid any compatibility issues), leaving four of those double spaces between the top of the page and the heading of the review.

5.      Double-space the heading, then leave two more double spaces before the text.

6.      At the end of your review, leave two double spaces between the text and your name, which should be placed at the right side of the page.  One double space below your name, on the right side as well, give the name of your institution (or another address, if you are not affiliated with an institution).

7.      Use the author’s full last name when referring to him or her, and do not abbreviate: Housman, not H.

8.      Please do not use footnotes.  References to primary texts and modern scholarship should be inserted in parentheses. 

9.      Please submit your review as an attachment to an eMail message, once again using Microsoft Word, if possible.  If you cannot use Word, indicate the word-processing program you are using.  If you cannot submit the review as an attachment, you may send it on a disc.  If you send a disc, indicate the brand of computer and the program you are using. 

10.  Please include your mailing address (postal service) and telephone number in the eMail message with which you submit your review.