Bluebook 21st Edition - Books

Free Bluebook Book Citation Generator

Generate accurate Bluebook citations for legal treatises, textbooks, and edited volumes.

How to cite a book in Bluebook

1

Search for the book

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

2

Check the Bluebook formatting fields

Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

3

Copy the formatted result

Get the complete Bluebook citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

Bluebook Book Citation Format

Single Author:

Author Full Name, Title in Small Caps Page (Edition, Publisher Year).

Edited Volume:

Author, Chapter Title, in Title in Small Caps Page (Editor ed., Year).

Bluebook Book Citation Examples

Legal Treatise

1 Laurence H. Tribe, American Constitutional Law § 15-21, at 1381 (3d ed. 2000).

In-text: 1

Casebook

Erwin Chemerinsky, Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies 45 (6th ed. 2019).

In-text: 2

Examples formatted in Bluebook style

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a legal treatise in Bluebook?

Format: Author, Title (in large and small capitals) page or section (edition, publisher year). Multi-volume works include the volume number before the author name.

Do I use italics or small caps for book titles?

In law review footnotes, book titles use large and small capitals (not italics). In court documents, titles are underlined or italicized per local rules.

Cite Other Source Types in Bluebook

Jump to the next source pages in the same citation style.

Cite a Book in Other Styles

Same source type, different formatting rules. Pick your required style.

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Need a different style? (secondary)

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