The Book Review Digest, Volume 3, 1907 by Various

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The Book Review Digest, Volume 3, 1907 by Various

(5 User reviews) 2312

By John White Posted on Jan 13, 2026

In Category - Aviation

Authors: Various Published By : Various

Book Language: English

Ever wondered what people were actually reading over a century ago, and what critics thought about it? Forget dusty literary theory—this is a time capsule of 1907's reading habits, captured in one volume. 'The Book Review Digest, Volume 3' isn't a storybook; it's a curated snapshot. It collects hundreds of reviews from major newspapers and magazines of the era, summarizing what was said about the year's new novels, histories, travelogues, and scientific works. The main 'mystery' here is uncovering the literary taste of a bygone age. What books were considered scandalous? Which were hailed as masterpieces? Why did critics love or hate something? Flipping through these pages is like eavesdropping on a massive, year-long book club meeting from 1907. You'll find forgotten bestsellers, spot the birth of now-classic authors, and get a raw, unfiltered look at how readers and critics of the Edwardian era judged the stories that shaped their world. It's a fascinating, and often surprising, peek behind the curtain of literary history.

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Arena.—Arena. $2.50. Albert Brandt, Princeton Avenue, Trenton, N. J. Astrophys. J.—Astrophysical Journal. $4. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Ath.—Athenæum. $4.25. Bream’s Buildings, Chancery Lane, E. C., London. Atlan.—Atlantic Monthly. $4. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass. Bib. World.—Biblical World. $2. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Bookm.—Bookman. $2.50. Dodd, Mead & Co., 372 5th Ave, N. Y. Bot. Gaz.—Botanical Gazette. $5. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Cath. World.—Catholic World. $3. 120–122 W. 60th St., New York. Critic—Merged into Putnam’s on October 1, 1906. Dial.—Dial. $2 Fine Arts Building, 203 Michigan Blvd., Chicago, Ill. Educ. R.—Educational Review. $3. Educational Review Pub. Co., Columbia University, N. Y. El. School T.—Elementary School Teacher. $1.50. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. Engin. N.—Engineering News. $5. 220 Broadway, New York. Eng. Hist. R.—English Historical Review. $6. Longmans, Green, and Co., 39 Paternoster Row London, E. C. Forum.—Forum. $2. Forum Publishing Co., 45 East 42d Street. New York. Hibbert J.—Hibbert Journal. $3. Williams & Norgate, London. Ind.—Independent. $2. 130 Fulton St., N. Y. Int. J. Ethics.—International Journal of Ethics. $2.50. 1415 Locust St., Philadelphia. Int. Studio.—International Studio. $5. John Lane, 110–114 West 32d Street, New York. J. Geol.—Journal of Geology. $3. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. J. Philos.—Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. $3. Science Press, Lancaster, Pa. J. Pol. Econ.—Journal of Political Economy. $3. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Lit. D.—Literary Digest. $3. 44–60 East 23d Street, New York. Lond. Times.—London Times (literary supplement to weekly edition), London, England. Mod. Philol.—Modern Philology. $3. University of Chicago Press. Chicago, Ill. Nation.—Nation. $3. P O Box 794, New York. Nature.—Nature. $6. 66 Fifth Ave., New York. N. Y. Times.—New York Times Saturday Review, New York. No. Am.—North American Review. $4. North American Review Pub. Co., Franklin Sq., New York. Outlook.—Outlook. $3. Outlook Co., 287 4th Ave., New York. Philos. R.—Philosophical Review. $3. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Phys. R.—Physical Review. $5. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Pol. Sci. Q.—Political Science Quarterly. $3. Ginn & Co., 29 Beacon St., Boston. Psychol. Bull.—Psychological Bulletin. $2. 41 North Queen St., Lancaster, Pa. Putnam’s—Putnam’s Monthly and the Critic. $3. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 27 & 29 W. 23rd St., New York. R. of Rs.—Review of Reviews. $3. Review of Reviews Co., 13 Astor Place, New York. Sat. R.—Saturday Review. $7.50. 33 Southampton St. Strand, London. School R.—School Review. $1.50. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Science, n.s.—Science (new series). $5. Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. Spec.—Spectator. $7.50. 1 Wellington St., Strand, London. Yale R.—Yale Review. $3. New Haven. Conn. OTHER ABBREVIATIONS: Abbreviations of Publishers’ Names will be found in the Publishers’ Directory at the end of The Cumulative Book Index. An Asterisk (*) before the price indicates those books sold at a limited discount and commonly known as net books. Books subject to the rules of the American Publishers’ Association are marked by a double asterisk (**) when the bookseller is required to maintain the list price; by a dagger (†) when the maximum discount is fixed at 20 and 10 per cent, as is allowable in the case of fiction. The plus and minus signs preceding the names of the magazines indicate the degree of favor or disfavor of the entire review. In the reference to a magazine, the first number refers to the volume, the next to the page and the letters to the date. Books noticed for the first time this month have an asterisk (*) immediately below the author’s name in entry heading. A Maltese Cross (✠) indicates that the A. L. A. Booklist suggests the books for first purchase. The letter S indicates that...

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Let's be clear from the start: this isn't a novel. The Book Review Digest, Volume 3, 1907 is a reference work, a big collection of other people's opinions. Published by the H.W. Wilson Company, its job was to help librarians and readers quickly get the gist of the critical conversation around new books. For each book published that year, it provides a short summary and then excerpts from reviews published in places like The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Nation.

The Story

There's no plot, but there is a compelling narrative woven from countless tiny threads. You open it to a random page and might land on the entry for a now-obscure romance novel, where a critic from Chicago calls it 'a pleasant diversion' while one from Boston sniffs that it's 'sentimental tripe.' Turn a few pages and you're in the thick of debate about a new history of the Civil War or a controversial work on social reform. The 'story' this book tells is the story of a year in publishing, seen through the eyes of its first reviewers. It captures the immediate reaction—the hype, the scorn, the thoughtful analysis—before history decided which books would last.

Why You Should Read It

I love this book for its sheer unpredictability and its human touch. Reading these century-old reviews strips away our modern hindsight. You see critics grappling with new ideas in real time. Some of their opinions are shockingly modern; others are hilariously, cringingly dated. It's a powerful reminder that literary taste isn't fixed. A book hailed as a groundbreaking masterpiece in 1907 might be completely forgotten today, while a work that got mixed or poor reviews might be on our university syllabi. It makes you question how today's five-star and one-star reviews will look to someone in 2124. Browsing this digest is a uniquely direct connection to the reading life of the past.

Final Verdict

This is a niche read, but a deeply rewarding one. It's perfect for history buffs, aspiring writers, and truly curious book lovers. If you've ever enjoyed going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about publishing history, or if you love the context behind classic novels, you'll find this endlessly fascinating. Don't read it cover-to-cover; dip in and out. It's the ultimate literary curiosity shop, full of forgotten gems and fascinating snapshots of a world thinking about itself through the books it read.

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