In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Editor's Note
  • Thomas P. Slaughter, editor

Answers to questions I have been asked more than once:

  • "Why didn't you review my book?"

    1. A. We have space to review under 40 percent of the books published on American history each year. You may have noticed we are reviewing about 20 percent more books than we were, but we cannot do much better than that, given contractual limitations on total annual page numbers. We try to commission more multiple book reviews but get turned down on those requests at a significantly higher rate than on requests to review single books.

    2. B. We consider for review all books sent by publishers. About one-third of the books published each year are not sent to us by publishers. (I know this from serving on the Bancroft and other book prize committees. Many more books are nominated by publishers for the Bancroft Prize than are sent to Reviews in American History.) Except for Princeton University Press, publishers seldom send us edited volumes. (From service on the AHA Jameson Prize Committee, I know that under 10 percent of edited volumes are sent to us for review.) We do request specific books from publishers that send us their catalogues, but the surest route to the assignment of a review is if the publisher simply sends us a copy of your book when it is published. (We don't use pre-publication proofs.) Our small staff does not have time to answer queries about whether we have received books or queries about whether we intend to review them. (Also, we do not have "tear sheets.")

    3. C. We are unable to find reviewers for about 20 percent of books sent to us. We ask someone in the field to review a book and ask that person to suggest others if he or she is unable to do it. A significant percentage of people do not even respond to the initial request. A significant percentage of those who turn us down do not suggest an alternative reviewer. We generally try five or six times, but do eventually give up if we cannot identify anyone in the field who will review the book. (For some reason, we find it very difficult to locate reviewers for books in labor history or on immigration.)

    4. D. Between 20 and 25 percent of those we commission to write a review never deliver it and do not answer our email inquiries about whether [End Page 1] they intend to deliver it. This is the most surprising thing I have learned about our profession from editing this journal for the past three years. Books that fall into this category do not get reviewed at all, because, by the time we give up on a reviewer (so many of the reviews being significantly late), much time has passed since publication, and we are pressed to keep up with the constant stream of books that we receive.

    5. E. Yes, there are books we decide not to review for reasons that include our estimation of their ambition, scope, and significance. Even with the scores of books not sent to us by the publishers, the reviewers we cannot find, and the assigned reviews that are not delivered, we still cannot assign for review every book we receive.

  • "Are you interested in unsolicited manuscripts?"

    We are not interested in unsolicited reviews, but we do consider requests to review a particular book. We are most interested in state-of-the-field essays, reviews of more than one book, and the "Reflections" we publish on a regular basis. If you are interested in writing something along these lines for RAH, please send me an email message.

  • "How do I get on your list of prospective reviewers?"

    There is no "list." We use the AHA Guide, our circles of knowledge, and suggestions offered by other scholars, including those on our editorial board, whose help we solicit on a regular basis. If you would like to be considered for reviewing and we have never asked you or have not asked you for a long time, please send me an email message to that effect with a description of your areas of interest and expertise...

pdf

Share