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How do I cite a book review article which has the same title as the book?

I want to quote the journalist, Jeffrey D. Carlisle, who wrote an article titled "Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann" for Chronicles of Oklahoma, published by the Oklahoma Historical Society in January 2008.

The article is a review of the book Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann written in 2007 by William Chebahtah and ‎Nancy McGown Minor.

The quote I want was made by the reviewer, and does not appear in the book. Do I list the authors of the reviewed book? Do I mention that the article is a book review? Are either of these acceptable?

1 - Jeffrey D. Carlisle (2008, January). Review of "Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann" (2007) by William Chebahtah and ‎Nancy McGown Minor, Chronicles of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Historical Society), Volume 86, Page 244.

or

2 - Jeffrey D. Carlisle (2008, January). Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann [Chebahtah & Minor (2007), reviewed by Carlisle], Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 86, Page 244.

Rusty Erpenbeck
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  • I upvoted but am having second thoughts about whether this Question is on-topic for this site. Is there something that makes this Question specifically relate to Genealogy and/or Family History rather than general historical literature? – PolyGeo Jun 02 '14 at 05:50
  • @PolyGeo, if the question is about citing a source in support of some genealogical/family history research, then I'd say it's on-topic. The answers (given where it's been asked) are going to be about genealogy citations, so I hope that's what's wanted :) –  Jun 02 '14 at 07:45
  • Yes, it is for research in the methodology of family historians and how oral tradition was passed to new generations. And I want the citation to be consistent in style with other genealogical citations. – Rusty Erpenbeck Jun 03 '14 at 01:44

2 Answers2

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I think that option 1, putting the "Review of" ahead of the book title, is clearer in describing what you are citing. There is enough variation in citation styles that either option should be adequate, unless a particular style is required for publication.

If you still are unsure, check the several issues of publication you cited, Chronicles of Oklahoma, for how the Review section is identified in their Table of Contents.

Also, other reviews may have been mentioned in Letters to the Editor or Correspondence sections. These likely are not fully cited (depending on editing), but may give clues how Chronicles of Oklahoma styles such references. (Other genealogical journals, which may have more examples, could be checked for this point).

Update: we now know that title of the article was not correctly quoted in the original question. Both the original options are thus wrong, although option 2 is needs less adjustment.

bgwiehle
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  • Thanks. The Table of Contents says "William Chebahtah and ‎Nancy McGown Minor, Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann, reviewed by Jeffrey D. Carlisle" but the book authors' names are not in the title when you go to the article. I just want to be clear that I am quoting Carlisle, and not quoting a book via a book review. Would it be inappropriate to drop the book authors and simply say "Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann (a critical review)"? – Rusty Erpenbeck Jun 01 '14 at 14:47
  • Why a 'critical' review? Was that in the text somewhere? Dropping the book's authors in an actual citation of the quote probably wouldn't hurt, but typically, all relevant information on referenced works should be collected . – bgwiehle Jun 02 '14 at 01:18
  • because he was critiquing, as in "book critic". Critical = expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art. – Rusty Erpenbeck Jun 02 '14 at 02:23
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I'd try:

Jeffrey D. Carlisle, "William Chebahtah and ‎Nancy McGown Minor, Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann, reviewed by Jeffrey D. Carlisle". Chronicles of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Historical Society. Volume 86, No. 1 (Spring 2008), page 244.

Reasoning: You're citing an article within a publication so you need to identify: the author of the article, the name of the article, and the publication details. The name of the article (as taken from the Table of Contents) makes explicit that the article is a book review, so you need not do anything else. You don't need to provide details of the book reviewed other than what is in the title of the review, because you're not citing that book.

Ideally, you'd also include details of the editor of the publication to give credit to their effort, and also place of publication, but your prime focus is on the article and author that you consulted.

Adding those details, I get:

Jeffrey D. Carlisle, "William Chebahtah and ‎Nancy McGown Minor, Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann, reviewed by Jeffrey D. Carlisle". Dianna Everett, editor. Chronicles of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society. Volume 86, No. 1 (Spring 2008), page 244.