What is a "starred" review?

September 26, 2005 1:26 PM

How is a "starred" review different from a normal review?

From the promotional copy for a book suggested in this thread:
"It would be difficult to select a favorite section from this incredibly complete and triumphant effort." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
I've searched Google about this and people seem very proud of getting "starred" reviews. Does that just mean that the book was reviewed and given a number of stars? If so, why don't they include the actual star rating?

posted by pocams to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

It just means it was a starring feature in the reviews section (often slightly punnishly marked with a star in the magazine).
posted by abcde at 1:31 PM on September 26, 2005

"A starred or boxed review indicates a book of outstanding quality."
posted by milkrate at 1:35 PM on September 26, 2005

Best answer: "A starred review indicates a book of outstanding quality. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred review." Publishers Weekly
posted by occhiblu at 1:38 PM on September 26, 2005

Best answer: Just an old tradition of the magazine, which is the "Billboard" of the literary world.

The Publisher's Review reviews are influential for buyers for libraries, institutions, book clubs, and so forth, so they can translate into wide sales even though only insiders see them.
posted by dhartung at 5:48 PM on September 26, 2005

Yeah, I was pretty wrong there.
posted by abcde at 7:55 PM on September 26, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks much, folks - you've put my mind at rest.
posted by pocams at 9:31 PM on September 26, 2005