Crafting the Professional Reader: Book Reviews in the Military and Medical Press

Abstract

Abstract:This article examines nonprofessional book reviews in journals aimed at two traditional professional fields: medicine and the military. The review columns of the Lancet, British Medical Journal, Medical Press and Circular, United Service Journal, the Broad Arrow, and the United Service Gazette covered a surprisingly diverse range of subjects, including fiction, travel writing, history, and the arts. These reviews demonstrate the broad range of content within professional journals and the blurred boundaries between professional life and genteel culture in this period. Ultimately, book reviews played an instrumental role in the formation of professional identity and helped build imagined communities.