Connecting the Author, the Reviewer, and the Reader

I feel honored—and lucky—to have been selected as the new convener of the EASTS book review board at this most timely moment, just when the journal has been presented with an award by the Society of Social Studies of Science. My predecessors, including the most recent convener, Honghong Tinn, have done a marvelous job in making book reviews an indispensable part of the journal's operations. Here, book reviews have become a valuable platform in which not only English-language books on East Asian science and technology but also science, technology, and society books written in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other Asian languages are reviewed professionally. In addition, the reviews all stand out because of their quality. Diversity and quality—these two characteristics truly distinguish the book review section of EASTS when compared to those of other journals.

For nine months prior to taking this position, I was working as a substitute convener. During that period, I had the good fortune to be in touch with a number of scholars from East Asia and beyond, and their scholarly rigor and intellectual depth constantly impressed me. Through a wide variety of books covering almost every branch of science, technology, and society, the review section enabled me to approach other members of an academic community whose boundaries I had not fully appreciated.

In a sense, book reviews examine published materials in the same way that original articles examine empirical phenomena or theoretical issues. Books and their reviews constitute a dialogue that echoes the ideals of the Republic of Letters. Therefore, compared with one-shot reviews that can be easily accessed through the internet or other electronic means, EASTS book reviews aim to promote communication between the reviewer and the author on the one hand and the reader and the reviewer on the other. The author, the reviewer, and the reader are thus connected to one another. Our book review section will endeavor to enhance and multiply the avenues for connection and communication.

However, communication has never been a one-person show, and the aforementioned tasks call for teamwork. And so I'm extending my gratitude to all the members and assistants, past and present, of the book review board for their strong support and selfless contributions—without all of you, nothing will be possible. So let's carry on the good work and create an even greater community.