Comments on: The Ethics of Book Reviews http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/ The Japan History Group Blog Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:45:05 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: K. M. Lawson http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-15403 K. M. Lawson Thu, 15 Jun 2006 09:54:35 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/#comment-15403 I told you not to send it to my department!! :-) I told you not to send it to my department!! :-)

]]> By: Morgan Pitelka http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-15155 Morgan Pitelka Wed, 14 Jun 2006 00:23:50 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/#comment-15155 Thanks for your reply, Konrad. Hey, did you get that check I sent you for your review of my book? Oh wait, is this on? Damn . . . (Just kidding, world.) Thanks for your reply, Konrad. Hey, did you get that check I sent you for your review of my book? Oh wait, is this on? Damn . . .

(Just kidding, world.)

]]> By: K. M. Lawson http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-15152 K. M. Lawson Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:16:19 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2006/06/the-ethics-of-book-reviews/#comment-15152 This is a really important question and I think it is great you bring it up. I have so often seen reviews done by people who I know have a connection to the writer. Should you openly declare it when, for example, you happen to be the only other major author who has written on the subject, and your own book or more general approach has been trashed or critiqued by the new work? I get the impression that especially young scholars can sometimes be made or broken by reviews of their first book. I have heard of a number of cases of this being the case. I hope the problem will become less pronounced when there are more forums (which are seen as legitimate and hopefully also accessible to more than just those with access to huge libraries or expensive online databases) to write reviews and that these reviews can take more than just the two standard forms: short regular review and extended review essay. I think the online world, including Frog in a Well can serve as a place for other kinds of review (ones that focus in on a single chapter, ones that explore connections and controversies between comparable sections of several books etc.) This is a really important question and I think it is great you bring it up. I have so often seen reviews done by people who I know have a connection to the writer. Should you openly declare it when, for example, you happen to be the only other major author who has written on the subject, and your own book or more general approach has been trashed or critiqued by the new work?

I get the impression that especially young scholars can sometimes be made or broken by reviews of their first book. I have heard of a number of cases of this being the case.

I hope the problem will become less pronounced when there are more forums (which are seen as legitimate and hopefully also accessible to more than just those with access to huge libraries or expensive online databases) to write reviews and that these reviews can take more than just the two standard forms: short regular review and extended review essay. I think the online world, including Frog in a Well can serve as a place for other kinds of review (ones that focus in on a single chapter, ones that explore connections and controversies between comparable sections of several books etc.)

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