Choice book reviews in American history, geography, and area studies: an analysis for 1988-1993.

A random sampling of 375 book reviews published in Choice from 1988 to 1993 in American history, geography, and area studies was evaluated through a content analysis. The research investigated how frequently certain subjective evaluative criteria were applied by Choice reviewers. References to analysis, research, or readability each appeared in approximately 50% of the reviews; references to editing, historical context, objectivity or thesis each appeared in less than 25% of the reviews. An average of 2.3 of these criteria appeared in a typical review. In addition, each review was coded for the overall opinion given a book by a reviewer. This study revealed that 76% of the books were favorably evaluated. Whereas the brief reviews in Choice are supported by some critical assessments, there are limits to the amount of subjective critical elements provided for library acquisitions professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]