Conversations Among Scholars
Reviews of historical scholarship are among the most important ongoing conversations among scholars across the world. The American Historical Review is committed to being a part of this conversation by publishing approximately 650 reviews annually. Scholarly reviews sustain conversations across time and space, and are a genre of writing that requires particular knowledge and skills. The American Historical Review aims to represent all fields of historical scholarship within the pages of the reviews section. Our editorial team actively seeks to review historical scholarship in various forms representing all geographic regions, time periods, themes, and subjects, making the reviews section one of the most important services the AHR provides to the worldwide history community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can I contact about reviews?
Please email ahrreviews@historians.org if you have a question related to reviews.
How can I make sure my book is considered for review in the AHR?
To ensure that your book is considered for review in the AHR, please ask your publisher to send a catalog, a list, or other promotional materials about new and upcoming titles to ahrreviews@historians.org. Our editorial team actively seeks these materials to ensure that a wide range of scholarly books are considered for review in the journal. Please do not send a physical copy of your book to our offices. We only use digital copies for consideration for review. Because we have approximately 1,000 reviews in process at any given time, we are unable to provide information about the status of any individual book in this process.
How can I be considered as a reviewer for the AHR?
Please fill out our form to tell us about your areas of scholarly expertise. Our main requirement for reviewers is an earned doctorate in history or a related field. Please note that reviewers cannot self-nominate as a reviewer for a specific book. We will contact you if we match you with a book in your area of scholarly expertise.
When will the review I wrote be published?
On average, reviews are published approximately 9–12 months after they are submitted. Production of each AHR issue begins nine months before the planned publication date. At the time production begins, the queue of submitted reviews move into the copyediting, proofing, and licensing processes. If you have a question about a submitted review, please email ahrreviews@historians.org.
Does the AHR publish reviews of historical scholarship other than books?
Yes. We publish reviews of museum exhibits, films, podcasts, board games, digital history projects, and more. If there is a work of historical scholarship that you would like to bring to our attention, please email ahrreviews@historians.org to suggest consideration for review.
Do you review books in languages other than English?
Yes. All reviews in the AHR are published in English, but we review works that are produced in languages other than English.