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review copy

review copy

4 3.9
A free copy of a new book sent to someone who will read and write about it
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : copia de revisión
  • Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this cookbook.
  • receive a review copy
  • send a review copy
  • request a review copy

It's called a review copy, sometimes called an ARC, ARC advanced review copy or a galley.

Examples

  • Disclosures: I received a review copy of this book from one of the authors.

    Blog text (25)
  • In some cases, the writer has been sent a complimentary review copy or sample.

    Blog text (7)
  • We just got a review copy of this set, so we'll have a review very soon.

    Blog text (18)
  • I'd been sent a review copy and was working through the title on launch day.

    Blog text (22)
  • I do post reviews for books that I have been sent review copies.

    Blog text (9)
  • Free Press kindly supplied both my review copy and this additional copy for one of you.

    Blog text (15)
  • Note: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

    Blog text (17)
  • Please don't ask for review copies after a book has been released and is in stores.

    Blog text (14)
  • The few books we gave away as review copies showed up in used bookstores around town, anchors in the cheap bins.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The publisher sent me a review copy of the novel so I could share my thoughts before the release date.

Surface Forms

review copy singular
review copies plural

Morphology

review + copy

The noun–noun combination is compositional: 'review' (an evaluation) modifies 'copy' to indicate a copy intended for review. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer that it means a copy provided to reviewers, since this is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common modifier + noun pattern.

Etymology

Review copy comes from publishers who give a free copy of a new book to someone who will write a review before the book goes on sale. So a review copy means a book sent to a reviewer to read and write about publicly.