Bluebook Book Citation: Format, Rules & Examples
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0 sourcesBluebook Book Citation lists the author’s full name, the book title, a pincite page, and a parenthetical with the edition and year: Author, Title Page (Nth ed. Year). In academic footnotes the author and title appear in large and small capitals.
What is a Bluebook book citation?
A Bluebook book citation is a footnote reference to a book governed by Rule 15. It records the author’s full name, the book’s title, the specific page cited (the pincite), and a closing parenthetical stating the edition and year of publication. It has no in-text parenthetical because Bluebook is a footnote system.
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LAW
275
(9th ed. 2014)
[print book — no URL or DOI].
- Author — full name as printed on the title page, in large and small caps, followed by a comma.
- Title — the full book title in large and small caps; no italics, no quotation marks.
- Pincite — the exact page you are citing, placed right after the title.
- Parenthetical — edition and year, e.g.
(9th ed. 2014); a first edition shows only the year. - No DOI/URL — print books omit electronic identifiers; add a database or URL only for online-only sources.
What is the Bluebook book citation format?
The core Rule 15 pattern is Author, Title Pincite (Edition Year). Set the author and title in large and small capitals for law-review footnotes. Insert the pincite immediately after the title with no comma. Close with a single parenthetical holding the edition abbreviation and year.
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Full name, large & small caps, comma after | JOHN HART ELY, |
| Two authors | Join with & |
ESKRIDGE & FRICKEY |
| Three+ authors | First author + ET AL. |
CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT ET AL. |
| Title | Large & small caps, no italics | DEMOCRACY AND DISTRUST |
| Pincite | Page(s), directly after title | 87 |
| Edition | Ordinal + ed. (2d, 3d, 4th) |
(2d ed. 1995) |
| Year only | First editions | (1980) |
How do you cite a book in Bluebook?
Give the author, title, pincite, and edition parenthetical in that order. Use the exact name and title from the title page, and abbreviate ordinals the Bluebook way (2d, 3d, not 2nd, 3rd). These academic footnote examples show single, joint, and multi-author books.
One authorRichard A. Posner, Economic Analysis of Law 275 (9th ed. 2014).
First editionJohn Hart Ely, Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of Judicial Review 87 (1980).
Two authorsWilliam N. Eskridge, Jr. & Philip P. Frickey, Cases and Materials on Legislation 45 (2d ed. 1995).
Three or moreCharles Alan Wright et al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 1006 (3d ed. 2002).
The italics above stand in for the large-and-small-capitals typeface required by Rule 15 in a typeset law review. When you cannot render small caps, this generator applies the correct styling automatically.
How do you cite an edited book, chapter, or translation?
Name the editor, translator, or chapter author inside or before the parenthetical, following Rule 15.4 and 15.5. For a whole edited volume, add the editor and abbreviation ed. For a chapter, cite the piece’s author, then in, then the collection.
Edited volumeThe Federalist No. 10, at 78 (James Madison) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1961).
Chapter in a collectionLouis Henkin, Introduction, in The International Bill of Rights 1, 9 (Louis Henkin ed., 1981).
Translated bookFyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov 214 (Constance Garnett trans., Modern Library 1996).
For a chapter, the first number after the collection title is the piece’s starting page and the second is the pincite. Translator and editor credits sit together in the parenthetical, separated by a comma before the year.
What is the short form for a Bluebook book citation?
After a full citation, use a short form so you do not repeat every element. The standard book short form is the author’s last name in small caps, supra, the footnote number, and the new pincite. Use Id. when the immediately preceding footnote cites the same source.
Supra short formPosner, supra note 12, at 280.
Same sourceId. at 281.
Bluepages vs. academic footnotes: what differs?
Practitioners follow the Bluepages (B15), which change the typeface, not the order. In court documents and memos, the author appears in ordinary roman type and the title is italicized rather than set in large and small caps. The element sequence is otherwise identical to Rule 15.
| Feature | Academic (Rule 15) | Practitioner (B15) |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Large & small caps | Ordinary roman type |
| Title | Large & small caps | Italics |
| Where used | Law review footnotes | Briefs, motions, memos |
| Placement | Footnotes | Footnotes or in-line |
Bluepages formRichard A. Posner, Economic Analysis of Law 275 (9th ed. 2014).
How accurate is this guide, and what are its limits?
This guide reflects the 21st edition (2020) of The Bluebook, the current version. Rule 15 governs books; Rule 15.8 covers special materials such as the Bible and dictionaries, which follow their own patterns. Typeface conventions differ between whitepages (academic) and Bluepages (practitioner), so confirm which set your document requires.
Two limits deserve care. First, small-capitals styling cannot be shown in plain text, so a copied citation may look lowercase until formatted in your document. Second, unusual sources—loose-leaf services, multivolume treatises, or e-books—carry extra rules this overview does not fully cover. When in doubt, verify against The Bluebook itself or your journal’s style sheet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct Bluebook format for a book?
The format is author, title, pincite, and a parenthetical with edition and year: Richard A. Posner, Economic Analysis of Law 275 (9th ed. 2014). In academic footnotes the author and title use large and small capitals.
Are book titles italicized or in small caps in Bluebook?
It depends on the document. Academic law-review footnotes (Rule 15) put the title in large and small capitals. Court filings using the Bluepages (B15) italicize the title instead.
How do you cite a chapter in an edited book in Bluebook?
Cite the chapter’s author, the chapter title, the word in, the collection title, the starting page, and the pincite, then an editor parenthetical: Louis Henkin, Introduction, in The International Bill of Rights 1, 9 (Louis Henkin ed., 1981).
What is a pincite in a Bluebook book citation?
A pincite is the exact page (or section) you are referencing. It appears immediately after the book title with no comma, for example the 275 in Economic Analysis of Law 275.
How do you write a short-form book citation in Bluebook?
Use the author’s last name, supra, the footnote number, and at plus the new page: Posner, supra note 12, at 280. Use Id. when the same source was cited immediately before.
How do you cite a book with two or more authors?
Join two authors with an ampersand: Eskridge & Frickey. For three or more, name the first author followed by et al., as in Charles Alan Wright et al.
Which Bluebook edition is current?
The 21st edition, published in 2020, is the current Bluebook. Rule 15 for books is unchanged in its core structure from prior editions.