Harriet Klausner
Encyclopedia
Harriet Klausner is a reviewer of books
. She was the #1 ranked reviewer on Amazon.com
until October 24, 2008 when the company began a new ranking system and, as of May 28, 2011, is ranked number 706 with over 24,500 reviews total.
According to her self-reported online profiles, Harriet grew up in the Bronx
and her father was an employee of McGraw-Hill
. She reports being a former librarian with a master's degree in library science
who is proficient in speed-reading. Klausner professes in her online profiles to read two books a day, but a profile of her in Time in 2007 reports that she reads four to six books per day. This Time Magazine article named Klausner in its top 15 list of the “web generation's movers and shakers." Per an interview published in The Wall Street Journal
in 2005, she states that her goal for reviewing is to bring attention to "lesser-known" authors who "don't have a publicity machine behind them. That's the whole purpose of my doing this on Amazon."
As well as posting many reviews on the Amazon website, Klausner also posts reviews on several other websites such as Barnes & Noble
, Books 'n' Bytes, SFF Net, online magazine Of Ages Past, and SF Site.
Klausner has been criticized by those who question whether she actually reads the books she reviews. They contend that her reviews are always positive in an effort to garner approval from review sites and publishers, contain numerous errors in spelling and grammar and plot points, and are limited to plot synopses, and point out that she must be reading more books than the two per day she claims to read, or that she may be posting reviews written by others.
Book review
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
. She was the #1 ranked reviewer on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
until October 24, 2008 when the company began a new ranking system and, as of May 28, 2011, is ranked number 706 with over 24,500 reviews total.
According to her self-reported online profiles, Harriet grew up in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and her father was an employee of McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
. She reports being a former librarian with a master's degree in library science
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
who is proficient in speed-reading. Klausner professes in her online profiles to read two books a day, but a profile of her in Time in 2007 reports that she reads four to six books per day. This Time Magazine article named Klausner in its top 15 list of the “web generation's movers and shakers." Per an interview published in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
in 2005, she states that her goal for reviewing is to bring attention to "lesser-known" authors who "don't have a publicity machine behind them. That's the whole purpose of my doing this on Amazon."
As well as posting many reviews on the Amazon website, Klausner also posts reviews on several other websites such as Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, Books 'n' Bytes, SFF Net, online magazine Of Ages Past, and SF Site.
Klausner has been criticized by those who question whether she actually reads the books she reviews. They contend that her reviews are always positive in an effort to garner approval from review sites and publishers, contain numerous errors in spelling and grammar and plot points, and are limited to plot synopses, and point out that she must be reading more books than the two per day she claims to read, or that she may be posting reviews written by others.