How to Review Scholarly Books: Reading, Writing, Relishing [Review of: S.E. Gump (2025) How to Review Scholarly Books: Reading, Writing, Relishing]

Writing a book review about a book about writing book reviews is bound to make the reviewer unusually self-conscious of the how and why of this scholarly activity. Well, here we go. Gump's pleasantly and accessibly written guide, primarily aimed at young scholars aspiring to this honourable and rewarding but underappreciated variety of academic output, is a passionate plea for the genre. I fully agree with the author that book-reviewing is, or should be, a core part of being in academia. It is not only indispensable for evaluating new research; it also, Gump convincingly argues, helps improve thinking, broaden interests, hone writing, refine peer-reviewing, and enrich teaching. In short, reviewing books makes one a better scholar.