# Is there an online database or search engine for book reviews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410 "2004-07-03T21:05:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/1 "2004-07-03T21:05:25Z")
Is there any website, online database, or search engine I can go to find book reviews? That is, I enter the author and title, and get a complete list (with or without full-text access) of all reviews of that book that have been published since the book itself was published. Is such a thing available? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/2 "2004-07-04T16:31:49Z")
Nobody knows? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/3 "2004-07-04T22:46:31Z")
None that I know of. I found [this site](http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqweb/bookrev.html) which links to various review sites, but nothing that is more like Rotten Tomatoes in scope. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/4 "2004-07-05T00:53:29Z")
Many library web sites have links to book review web sites. Here’s one particularly thorough listing-link: [http://www.webrary.org/RS/rslinks.html#1](http://www.webrary.org/RS/rslinks.html#1) Hope it’s helpful. I work at a high school library. Often the students have to research & do book reviews. Sometimes I’m glad there is not a “Rotten Tomatoes” for books; the students wouldn’t have to do any work then. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/5 "2004-07-11T11:32:40Z")
You could use Google. Just make your query like this > [@](#): > > critic | review | commentary “SAM’S LETTERS TO JENNIFER” and all you get back is reviews. Works for movies too. I chose the book because it was #1 on the NY Times list. Try some others. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/6 "2004-07-11T12:26:02Z")
Err…Lexus-Nexus would give you a list of every published article the title, author etc, has appeared in. If you can get access to Lexus-Nexus. Know any law students? ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-database-or-search-engine-for-book-reviews/253410/7 "2004-07-11T13:22:49Z")
I composed this and then realized that you seem to mean _“professional”_ reviews, but anyway… [bibliophil.org](http://bibliophil.org/default.asp) is a place for booklovers to record their reading list and wanted list, and they can associate reviews with these. There also appear to be a number of nascent IMDB-style databases for books, with no particular one being dominant. There was one that I used to look at frequently, for which I lost the link, which is either no longer in existence or has morphed to a shape that I no longer recognize (or, its exactly the same and I just can’t find it!) In any case, an example may be found [here.](http://www.ibdof.com/) Of course, amazon has lots of reviews too.