Book reviews are written around the time the book was originally published, while literary criticism appears in later years. For example, reviews of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls that appeared in 1940 or 1941 (right after the book was published) are book reviews, while literary criticism about the novel continues to be written today.
Book Review Digest Online
The Book Review Digest database brings together book reviews on a wide range of topics from a variety of sources, many from academic journals. Use this database to identify book reviews published between 1983 and the present.
NOTE: The full record may or may not include the full text of the review! If the full text of the review is not present (or if there is no link to the full text), find the journal in Seymour Library, online, or request it via interlibrary loan.
Book Review Digest in Print
For Books Published between 1900-1982, you must use the print Index Book Review Digest. To use the Book Review Digest:
Reference Books on Analysis, Criticism and Bibliographic information
American Writers: Ref PS129.A55 v.1-4 +Supps.
British Writers: Ref PR85.B688 v.1-8 +Supps.
These collections of essays provide substantial biographical and literary information on each American or British author. The authors included in this set are from all periods of American and British literary history.
Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC): Ref PN771.C59 v.1-
This set contains lengthy excerpts from criticism of the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers and script writers living from 1960 to the present. Use the cumulative index in the latest volume to find all references to an author in this set and related sets.
Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB): located in the PR and PS sections in the Reference room
Each volume features biographical essays on writers representing a particular topic, genre or nationality. Titles include: British Dramatists since WWII, Native American Writers in the United States, Medieval Japanese Writers, etc.