Eighteenth-Century Women

Studies in their Lives, Work, and Culture

Guidelines for Book Reviewers

Drawing by Moira Macgregor for
The Friends of Fashion, Museum of London

Length: 800 to 1000 words per book is ideal.

Style: Please follow the guidelines on the style sheet.

Review Format:

(1) At the start of the entry: MLA-style bibliography entry of the book with page count (which includes the notes and index) and ISBN-13 number added as the final detail. Example: 

Ferguson, Moira. Eighteenth-Century Women Poets: Nation, Class, and Gender. SUNY Series in Feminist Criticism and Gender. Ed. Michelle A. Massé. Albany: SUNY P, 1995. Pp. 164. 979-0227243122.

(2) On the next line, your name.

(3) Then, a concise and detailed summary of the contents/author’s argument, followed by

(4) A section that assesses the book’s quality, methodology, and contribution to the field. If possible, position it with regard to similar books on the subject, if any (does this book complement other books? supersede them?).

(5) End with your academic affiliation or current city/state/country of residence on a separate line.

Avoid using this forum as a space for promulgating your own theories on the subject—stick to telling us what this book is about. Remember that highly technical terms must be explained or avoided: not all the readers of ECWomen will be literature scholars. Aim for readability and grace.

Deadline: 1 June 2008 for reviews to appear in volume 6; reviews that arrive before 1 November 2007 will appear in vol 5.