A Humble Genre: The History of Isis Book Reviews

This essay offers a brief history of book reviews in Isis. It tracks how this humble genre evolved over more than a century. The piece also argues that notwithstanding its seemingly humble stature, the genre actually plays a crucial role in defining what is and what is not history of science and who is part of the academic community affiliated with our field and who is not. As such, the book reviews are actually an excellent barometer of the changing contours of our dis- cipline. Finally, the essay recounts some of the major shifts that, though already under way, were speeded up by the recent pandemic. It ends with a call for greater reflexivity about the epistemic, social, and ethical roles of the book re- views of the future.