Journal of Visual Culture accepts reviews for publication, which are typically published in the back of each issue. If you are interested in reviewing a book for us, please review the guidelines below and contact our Reviews Editor Nishat Awan: journalvisualculturereviews[at]gmail[dot]com. Books we are currently looking for reviews of include Hito Steyerl’s Medium Hot: Images in the Age of Heat (2025), Michelle Henning’s A Dirty History of Photography: Chemistry, Fog, and Empire (2025), Sharon Sliwinski’s An Alphabet for Dreamers: How to See the World with Eyes Closed (2025), V. Mitch McEwen’s Erasure by Design: Racial Protocols of Displacement, Demolition, and Extraction (2026), and Vindhya Buthpitiya’s A Volatile Picture: War and the Political Work of Photography in Sri Lanka (2026). If you would like to propose a review of another visual culture related book published in 2025 or 2026, please also get in touch.
Sample books and catalogues for review may be sent to:
Dr. Nishat Awan, Reviews Editor, Journal of Visual Culture
UCL Urban Laboratory
Gordon House
29 Gordon Square
London
WC1H 0PP
United Kingdom
We seek book reviews that critically engage with the book as well as with the wider context of the given topic without the need for condescension. A good working knowledge of the author or subject matter is important. We are looking for objective and innovative responses or reactions to books. If you have any questions regarding the writing of a book review, please do not hesitate to contact the book reviews editor.
Please follow the most recent Harvard citation style (download a quick citation guide here). The book reviews editor will make minor editorial alterations, if necessary, to conform to the house style. If substantial editing of your review is required, you will be notified and a copy of your edited review can be sent to you for your approval or final changes prior to publication.
Reviews should be between 800 and 1400 words; however, if the particular book requires an altered word count for the review then the editor will discuss this with the reviewer.
Reviewers are welcome to suggest a headline for their reviews.
Please include your name, mailing address, email address and phone number in any initial correspondence to the book reviews editor.
At the top of the first page, please include the following information:
1. Title of book
2. Subtitle (if any)
3. Author / Editor / Translator / Illustrator / Photographer
4. Publisher / ISBN
5. The year the book was published
6. The number of pages in the book