In this issue of OASE, the history of the architectural book review is outlined through 25 case studies from the eighteenth century until today. The properties are studied of a genre that is more or less generally available, intended for a shifting audience of architects, interested readers and historians. The main aim is to reveal how the book relates to the architecture practice, and how this relationship has evolved. The book review is a trenchant opportunity to look back on production in the distant or recent past, and to speculate about the future.