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The University of Adelaide Library
North Terrace
ADELAIDE SA 5005 

Telephone:
+61 8 8303 5372

Facsimile:
+61 8 8303 4369

Email:
library@adelaide.edu.au

Book reviews : Contemporary fiction

 

 

Electronic databases

Book Review Index

Try this electronic resource first, it is the major database in this area. It will give you citations to book reviews and links to full-text options. We may be able to give you access to the full book review if we have an electronic subscription to the journal or newspaper. We may also have the review that you want to read in one of our print journals (the "check full-text option" allows you to search the library catalogue and get the call number.)


Academic Search Premier

This is an excellent source, as it is updated daily and indexes many of the major newspapers and journals that publish book reviews. Many reviews are immediately available online in full text. You can use the keyword search option and search on the title of the book: e.g. island walkers and book reviews. The database coverage is from ca. 1985 onwards

Factiva

Newspapers are a useful source for book reviews; Factiva indexes many international and Australian newspapers.
 
 

Reviewing journals in the BSL

Recent issues of the following newspapers and journals are held in the Barr Smith Library in the following locations:

The London review of books
             BSL Newspapers 011.05 L847
             Other issues held in Reserve and Multimedia
             Bound volumes in Oversize Collection
             Also available online.

The New York times book review
             BSL Current journals collection 011.05 N532
             Bound volumes in Oversize Collection

Spectator (London, England)
            BSL Unbound journals collection 05 S74
            Bound volumes from v. 270 in Main Collection

T.L.S., the Times literary supplement
               BSL Newspapers 05 T58t
               Recent issues held at BSL Reserve and Multimedia
               Replaced by microfilm
               Indexes held in Reference Collection, and available electronically via the British Newspaper Index.

The New York review of books
             BSL Unbound journals collection 011.05 N53
            Bound volumes in Oversize Collection
            Selected articles also available in an electronic version via the Internet.

("The New York Review of Books" offers selected book reviews in full-text online. It is possible to search for these by the author and/or title of the book. From the search page in their archives, select "book reviewed or discussed" as your type of search.)
 
 

Australian book reviews


Austlit : the Australian literary database

Austlit is a very good electronic source for reviews of  recent Australian fiction; it indexes the major Australian journals that publish book reviews (e.g. Australian Book Review, Quadrant, Australian Women's Book Review, Adelaide Review.) Search by the author's name, then scroll down to Reviews.

The Australian book review

 This major reviewing journal is indexed in Book Review Index (BSL Reference collection  011.05 B724) and by Austlit.

 Recent issues are held at BSL Reference collection 05 A926.2, and in Special Collections.

Australian newspapers

The major Australian newspapers publish current book reviews, often in their weekend issues. Austlit indexes the major national and state newspapers and Factiva provides full-text access.  

Australian literary and historical texts (formerly Ozlit)

This University of Sydney site includes some book reviews, but is predominantly a source of  general Australian literary information.
 
 

Printed indexes

The most useful source for literary reviews is Book Review Index (BSL Reference collection  011.05 B724). You need to establish the year of publication of the novel, then check under the author's name in the appropriate annual or quarterly volume of Book Review Index (remembering that most book reviews are published within 12 - 18 months of the publication date.) The Australian Book Review is indexed here, as well as many international journals.  The Barr Smith Library holds a number of the major reviewing journals in the library.
 
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Last update: 24 November 2008 by Jennifer Osborn
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