BOOK REVIEWS

LAP publishes review essays of a group of related books
and individual reviews of signficant books.

LAP prioritizes review essays of multiple books that are related to thematic issues although we will consider other review essays dealing with topics related to the LAP Mission. (See current Calls for Manuscripts here and LAP Mission here.) We usually do not publish reviews of individual books unless we consider them particularly significant. Reviews may describe and analyze the importance of the subject matter, but also critically assess its significance and if evident identify theoretical contributions as well as identify innovative and cutting edge advances. Book reviews are coordinated by LAP Coordinating Editor, George Leddy, and we strongly recommend that prospective contributors contact him with a proposal before submitting a review. Send proposals to George at gleddy@mac.com and to the LAP office at lap@ucr.edu. 

Except in special cases, all reviews should take the form of review essays that critically discuss the major themes dealt with in two or more books that focus on the same or related subject(s).

In general, reviews should focus on significant works that make an important contribution to the existing literature. It is vital to emphasize theoretical content of the books under review and to draw out their theoretical significance and contribution. Cite the most relevant works in the literature to which the books under review belong. This helps to put the books under review in context and provides the reader with some bibliographic points of reference. Between 5 and 15 references should be cited in each review essay.

Please write concisely. Do not waste valuable text space describing each of the various essays in a collection of essays. The review should focus on the more important themes raised in the collection and discuss both the main contributions and the main shortcomings of the collection.

Manuscripts should be between 5 and 15 pages of double-spaced text in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.   The length depends on the number of books reviewed in the essay.  An approximate guideline is 800 words per book.  Please follow the LAP style guidelines available here in English and here in Spanish.

E-mail Book Review Submissions:

  • E-mail to the LAP office (lap@ucr.edu) and CC: George Leddy (gleddy@mac.com)
  • Subject Line: “Your Name – Book Review Submission for LAP
  • Submit your book review manuscript as a Word Document (.doc or docx.)