Scholarly Book Reviewing in the Social Sciences and Humanities - Flow

In this review of Scholarly Book Reviewing in the Social Sciences and Humanities, the bottom line is clear: this is a focused, scholarly analysis best suited for researchers and librarians interested in academic communication and historiography of ideas. The book traces patterns of scholarly book reviewing across disciplines and time, using an elite sample of monographs published by university presses between 1971 and 1990, and it offers a well-documented basis for understanding how ideas move within and among the social sciences and humanities. Its analytical scope and historical grounding make it a useful reference rather than light reading.

Key Features

• Historical scope: The book examines monographs from 1971 to 1990, providing a multi-decade perspective on reviewing practices and disciplinary flows of information.
• Elite sample selection: By focusing on scholarly monographs published by university presses, the analysis privileges influential works and clarifies how elite publishing shaped review patterns.
• Comparative disciplinary analysis: The study highlights differences in communication within and between fields, helping readers spot where ideas travel easily and where barriers persist.
• Methodological foundation: Building on the measurement tradition begun by Derek de Solla Price, the book offers a systematic approach that other researchers can replicate or critique.
• Field relevance: The content is directly applicable to librarianship, information science, and historians of science interested in scholarly communication.

Who It's For

This work is primarily for academics, librarians, information scientists, and graduate students who study scholarly communication, bibliometrics, or the history of ideas. Its careful use of an elite monograph sample and its engagement with prior measurement traditions make it most valuable to readers prepared to engage with empirical analysis and disciplinary comparison.

Readers seeking a general audience history or a narrative account of intellectual movements should look elsewhere; the book is neither a broad popular history nor a general introduction to the social sciences. It is concentrated, methodical, and best used as a reference or as material for further study.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a clear, multi-decade analysis that illuminates long-term patterns of scholarly book reviewing.
• Uses an elite university-press monograph sample, which strengthens claims about influential scholarly communication.
• Builds on established measurement traditions, offering a solid methodological base for further research.

Cons

• The focus on elite monographs and a limited time window (1971-1990) narrows generalizability to other publication types or later periods.

Specifications

Title	Scholarly Book Reviewing in the Social Sciences and Humanities
Author / Brand	Ylva Lindholm-Romantschuk
Scope	Flow of information within and among disciplines
Sample	Elite scholarly monographs from university presses
Time period analyzed	1971 to 1990
Disciplinary focus	Social sciences and humanities

Our Verdict

This is a rigorously argued, narrowly focused study that will repay readers interested in bibliometrics, librarianship, and the history of scholarly communication. It offers good value as a reference for researchers wanting empirical insight into how book reviewing shaped the flow of ideas across disciplines, though those seeking broader or more recent surveys should supplement it with other works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book cover journals as well as books?
The study concentrates on scholarly book reviewing and an elite sample of monographs; it does not treat journal communication as its primary subject.

What years does the analysis cover?
The research analyzes monographs published and reviews from the period 1971 through 1990.

Who is the author and what perspective informs the book?
Ylva Lindholm-Romantschuk authors the work, which is informed by measurement traditions in communication studies, beginning with Derek de Solla Price.