Readers’ Rewards
Professional Reviews Program
Instructions and Suggestions
Following are instructions and notes for each entry on the Professional Review form. You may wish to download a copy (the html version can be read by a number of word processors) with which to begin your review. The spaces left for entries on the internet form are not guides, merely displays. Please feel free to use as much space as you need. Because reviews must be submitted as word processor files, we have provided both PDF and Microsoft Word copies for your convenience. If you have difficulty with any of the entries, or obtaining the files, please e-mail bob@redwingbooks.com and we will provide the file you request by email attachment.
Title:
List the full title and any subtitle. With any form of translation, please list the original title(s) translated or used to produce a compilation. If this information is not easily available, note it as “not listed.” If there are too many sources to list reasonably, as for example in a compilation of many sources, note whether or not the sources are documented with foot- or end-notes, or simply listed in a bibliography.
Citation:
This is the standard information you would find in the bibliography of any professional book: Publisher’s name, Date, and Place of Publication.
Author(s):
Use full names and include any/all credentials listed (check the cover and title page). List their professional status, professional associations, their association with any commercial firm or enterprise, and any other pertinent information. The primary concern of a professional reader is to know the author’s pertinent background and experience, as well as whether they have personal or financial associations that might bias their views. If association information is not available from the book itself, note it as “not listed.” With any form of translation please list translators’ names in addition to those of the original author(s).
Editor(s):
Is there an editor listed? If so, include the same information as was used to describe the author(s).
C.O.M.P. Designation:
Though not applicable to every subject area, a Council of Oriental Medical Publishers designation can usually be found on one of the first pages of a book published in the last 5 years in the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. It may also sometimes be found at the start of the glossary. If you do not find one, enter “none” on the form.
Subject:
What is the subject or subjects that this book addresses? There is a space at the end of the form where you can enter the main headings from the Table of Contents. Here you should describe the subject of the book using the author and/or publisher’s choices. The back cover or the front matter are where to check for this information.
Primary Claim:
What is the foremost claim the author makes? The back cover, or any of the advertising pieces, generally list what the author believes to be the most important features of the book. They may also be discussed in front matter such as the Foreword or Preface. You will be able to express your opinion on this aspect of the book later; here you should tell your colleagues what the author(s) have to say. Does the book have an aim or does it represent a step on a larger publication program; for example, is it a textbook meant to stand alone, or be used with another book? If it is a reference text, such as a dictionary or materia medica, what are the features the author(s) consider most important? If the book makes practical claims, for example, if the author(s) present treatments or other information useful for some practical purposes, have they described the research or other experience that is the foundation for the claims made?
Descriptive Details:
The number of pages, illustrations and photographs can often be determined by looking at the Table of Illustrations and the Table of Contents. The publication date and edition number and date are usually found on the Title Page. The physical dimensions of the book can be noted in any convenient units (e.g., inches, centimeters). For the typography entry note whether the type is large or small, or any particular features of the typeset or design that seem important for others to know. The combination of Physical Dimensions and Typography is meant to give readers a very basic value comparison. For example, often a large book with large type and large spaces between the lines of type contains less information than a smaller, more tightly typeset book. For the footnoes or endnotes entry, you do not need to count the footnotes. If there are only a few scattered footnotes, enter “few”; if a significant number, enter “many”; if it is a fully documented scholarly work, enter “copious.” For the Bibliograpy, Glossary, and Index entries, note also the number of pages for each. If the book is a translation from a foreign language, note this and the source language if known. Where the foreign text is included, note applicable details. If there are further special features or qualities, please list them here.
How did the book come to be written?
Was writing the book an individual effort? Was it supported by any institution or organization, or paid for by donations or commercial funding? Did the writer(s) have personal access to people or documents that make the book unusual or unique? Because these are questions professional reviewers ask, the answers to this question, as well as to the next three questions, are often found in the introduction, prologue, preface, or cover summary of the book or in the advertising for it.
Does the author have any special or commercial interest that readers should know of?
For example, does the author participate in any area of expertise, or belong to any organization or groups discussed in the book? Does the author benefit if you buy or use any product or service described in the book? Are they involved with the publisher financially, as an employee or principal? If there are such interests, are these made known to the reader in the book? Has the author provided this information in the book?
Is there a particular viewpoint at the root of this book?
For example, if the book represents a particular organization or school of thought, is that made clear in the text? Does it represent the ideas of a particular tradition and, if so, is it discussed? Is the book addressed to a particular need?
Was the book written for a specific purpose?
If the author does not discuss the purpose of the text in their own words, is there a clear intention in the layout, design, or content of the book itself? For example, if the book is laid out as step-by-step procedures, it is fair to assume that the authors meant it to be used as a practical guide to the subject.
Who is the intended reader?
Is it a book for professionals, students, or some other specific readership? If no mention is made of this intent, note whether the author(s) assume a particular background, training, or the use of specific source books or references.
How old is the book and what experiences are associated with it?
Some books—such as classic books concerning traditional skills or philosophies—were written earlier than the editions now available. If this is the case, when was the book originally published, what of its reputation is known to you, and if there have been problems with prior editions what has been done about these problems in the current edition? What group or groups of readers have used this book? What group or groups endorse this book?
Does the book provide the evidence necessary for peer evaluation?
The author’s peers are those who have the same skills as the author(s) and are thus able to evaluate the claims the author makes. For example, if the book is a translation, is the source identified? Are any additions or reductions of the source noted? If the book presents research, is the data necessary for checking the author’s conclusion made available—i.e., are there bibliographic entries for works cited?
What are the book’s strong points?
In your own words, what did this book do well? If you are using the book for a particular purpose, what is that purpose?
What are the book’s weak points?
In your own words, what did this book do poorly? What does it lack for the purpose you purchased it, or for the purpose claimed in the book or its advertising?
How does the book relate to comparable books?
Are there conflicts with other texts? Does it represent a development with respect to earlier texts? Should it be read in association with any other text or texts? What features distinguish it from similar texts?
Summary
Does the book accomplish its aim? If it falls short, in what ways? If it is particularly successful, what makes it so?
Overall rating on a scale of 1 to 10.
An overall rating of “1” describes a book that fails to do what it claims to do in very substantial way. To have a rating of “10” a book should not only satisfy your personal criteria but provide the substantive foundation information that readers with viewpoints different from yours would need in order to choose to read or not read this book.