Dr. Tom Noel created the Colorado Book Review (CBR) in 2009 as a project to promote research into Colorado history. In 2015 Dr. Noel proposed that Denver Public Library take over the hosting and publication of CBR. Today this project is hosted by Denver Public Library in collaboration with Dr. Noel and a dedicated team working to publish reviews annually on non-fiction titles that focus on the history of the Centennial State. All reviews and other publications released by the Review are freely available to the public under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International CC BY-ND 4.0.
Selected CBR reviews are also included with History Colorado's The Colorado Magazine.
In support of this mission are two related publications
- Colorado New Publications List
- Resource Guides
If you know of a title not listed in the New Publications list, or that you would like to see reviewed, contact Dr. Noel directly for the book to be considered.
Lists of reviews by year may be found below. A full list of reviews, the new publications list, and resource guides, are linked on the right of this page.
2023 Reviews
- Communities of Ludlow (reviewed by Phil Goodstein)
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- Becoming Colorado: The Centennial State in 100 Objects (reviewed by James E. Hartmann)
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- A Dream of Justice: The Story of Keyes v. Denver Public Schools (reviewed by Marcia Johnson)
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- A Place Steeped in Prayer (reviewed by Ann Jones)
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- Arapahoe Basin: A Colorado Legend Since 1946 (reviewed by Katy Ordway)
- Adapting to the Land: A History of Agriculture in Colorado (reviewed by Tom Noel)
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- Colorado and the Silver Crash: The Panic of 1893 (reviewed by Stephen J. Leonard)
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- The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill (5th ed.) (reviewed by Dick Kreck)
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2022 Reviews
- The Girl Who Dared to Defy (reviewed by Tom Noel)
- Finding Solace in the Soil: An Archaeology of Gardens and Gardeners at Amache (reviewed by Kara Miyagishima)
- Pulling Harvey Out of Her Hat: The Amazing Story of Mary Coyle Chase (reviewed by Steven J. Leonard)
2021 Reviews
- Blood in the Borderlands: Conflict, Kinship, and the Bent Family, 1821-1920 (reviewed by Christine Whitacre)
- Colorado's Highest: the Naming of the 14,000 Foot Peaks (reviewed by Walt Borneman)
- Denver School Busing Wars: 1967-1995 (Vol.2 of The History of Denver Public Schools) (reviewed by Pat Pascoe)
- Denver Beer: a History of Mile High Brewing (reviewed by Jason L. Hanson)
- A History Lover's Guide to Denver (reviewed by Debra Faulkner)
- Colorado Women in World War II (reviewed by Flint Whitlock)
- Sand Creek and the Tragic End of a Lifeway (reviewed by T.J. Trump)
- The Queen of Denver: Louise Sneed Hill and the Emergence of Modern High Society (reviewed by Peg Ekstrand)
- Pleas and Petitions: Hispano Culture and Legislative Conflict in Territorial Colorado (reviewed by Peter Kopp)
Other Publications from the former Colorado Studies Center
- Noel, Thomas J. and Gail M. Beaton. The Woman's Bank: a Denver Success Story. Denver, Colorado : Colorado Studies Center, University of Colorado-Denver, 2020. 67 pages, with black-and-white and color illustrations. Includes index.
- Noel, Thomas J., with Shelby Carr. Charles Davis Vail: the Highway Engineer Who Transformed Colorado Roads. Denver, Colorado : Colorado Studies Center, University of Colorado-Denver, 2019. 94 pages, black-and-white and color illustrations. Includes index.
- Leavitt, Craig W. and Thomas J. Noel. Herndon Davis: Painting Colorado History, 1901-1962. Boulder: University Press of Colorado & Center for Colorado & The West, 2016. xvi + 280p. index, endnotes, bibliography, 200 black & white & color images, 9 x 12” $34.95.
- Thomas J. Noel, Jane C. Harper & Craig W. Leavitt. Colorado Newspapers: A History & Inventory, 1859-2000. Denver: Colorado Press Association Foundation & Center for Colorado & The West, 2014. xv + 432 p. bibliography, appendices, photos, drawings. paperback $49.95.
- Noel, Thomas J., Craig W. Leavitt with Diane B. Wunnicke. A History of the Hilltop Heritage Conservation Overlay District in Denver Colorado. Denver: Center for Colorado & The West, 2013. 92 p. index. endnotes. color & b & w photos. maps. paperback. $5.00.
- Sternberg, Barbara Edwards; Boone, Jennifer and Evelyn Waldron. Anne Evans—A Pioneer in Colorado’s Cultural History: The Things That Last When Gold Is Gone. Foreword by Thomas J. Noel. Denver, CO: Center for Colorado & the West & Buffalo Park Press, 2011. 566 p. photos, bibliography, index. $29.95. Paperback. 6”x 9”
Background of the Colorado Book Review
Begun in 2009 by Dr. Thomas J. Noel, the Colorado Book Review at Denver Public Library publishes critical reviews of non-fiction books on Colorado topics. Tom Noel, retired professor of American History at the University of Colorado - Denver, continues to serve as Chief Editor for the project, along with Craig Haggit, Denver Public Library Special Collection Librarian.