How to cite a book in Chicago style

Published on May 10, 2021 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on July 15, 2021.

Note:This article mainly covers notes and bibliography style. For author-date style, click here.

The basic formats for citing a book in a Chicago footnote and a bibliography entry are as follows:

Chicago book citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin, 1997.

Full note Author first name last name, Book Title: Subtitle (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s).

1. Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (London: Penguin, 1997), 34.
Short note Author last name, Shortened Book Title , Page number(s).

2. Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea, 54–55.

Short notes always follow the same basic format. Full notes and bibliography entries contain additional information if the book specifies an edition, translator, or editor, and follow a specific format when citing an individual chapter in a book.

Note that book citations look slightly different in Chicago author-date style.

Citing a specific edition

Scholarly books often come in different editions with important differences in content. When edition information (e.g. "Second Edition," "Revised Edition") is stated on the cover and/or title page of the book, it should be included in your citation.

Edition information is always abbreviated and followed by a period (e.g. "2nd ed." or "rev. ed.").

Chicago book edition citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. Book Title: Subtitle . Edition. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Donaldson, Bruce. Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar. 3rd ed. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2017.

Full note Author first name last name, Book Title: Subtitle , edition. (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s).

1. Bruce Donaldson, Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar, 3rd ed. (Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2017), 35.
Short note Author last name, Shortened Book Title , Page number(s).

2. Donaldson,Dutch, 76.

Translated books

When a book is translated from another language, it's important to identify the translator as well as the author. "Translated by" is abbreviated to "trans." in the citation.

In the bibliography, the words "Translated by" are written in full. The translator's name is not inverted, unlike that of the author.

Chicago translated book citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. Book Title: Subtitle . Translated by Translator first name last name. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Mann, Thomas. The Magic Mountain. Translated by H. T. Lowe-Porter. London: Vintage, 1999.

Full note Author first name last name, Book Title: Subtitle , trans. Translator first name last name (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s).

1. Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain, trans. H. T. Lowe-Porter (London: Vintage, 1999), 450.
Short note Author last name, Shortened Book Title , Page number(s).

2. Mann,Magic Mountain, 312.

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Citing a chapter from a book

When referring to a chapter from a multi-authored book (such as an essay collection or anthology), cite the specific chapter rather than the whole book. This means listing the author and title of the chapter first, then providing information about the book as a whole.

The editor's name is preceded by "ed." in a note and by "edited by" in the bibliography. A page range is included in the bibliography entry to show the location of the chapter in the book.

A short note just lists the chapter title, not that of the book, and omits the editor's name.

Chicago book chapter citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. "Chapter Title." In Book Title: Subtitle , edited by Editor first name last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Stewart, Bob. "Wag of the Tail: Reflecting on Pet Ownership." In Enriching Our Lives with Animals, edited by John Jaimeson, 220–90. Toronto: Petlove Press, 2007.

Full note Author first name last name, "Chapter Title," in Book Title: Subtitle , ed. Editor first name last name (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s).

1. Bob Stewart, "Wag of the Tail: Reflecting on Pet Ownership," in Enriching Our Lives with Animals, ed. John Jaimeson (Toronto: Petlove Press, 2007), 226.
Short note Author last name, "Shortened Chapter Title," Page number(s).

2. Stewart, "Wag of the Tail," 275.

E-books and online books

When citing a book you accessed online or in the form of an e-book, simply add relevant information about its format or location to the end of your citation.

Note that books in these formats might lack reliable page numbers. If there are no page numbers, or page numbers that would look different for another user, use another locator in your notes instead, such as a chapter number.

For an online book, add the URL or DOI where it can be accessed.

Chicago online book citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher, Year. URL or DOI.

Murdoch, Iris. The Sea, the Sea. London: Vintage, 2008. https://books.google.nl/books?id=IJ5fL72Vvs8C.

Full note Author first name last name, Book Title: Subtitle (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s) or Alternate locator, URL or DOI.

1. Iris Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea (London: Vintage, 2008), 126, https://books.google.nl/books?id=IJ5fL72Vvs8C.
Short note Author last name, Shortened Book Title , Page number(s) or Alternate locator.

2. Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea, 129.

For an e-book, add the format or device name (e.g. "Kindle," "iBooks"). You don't need to add a URL or DOI in this case.

Chicago e-book citation
Bibliography Author last name, first name. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher, Year. Format.

Murdoch, Iris. The Sea, the Sea. London: Vintage, 2008. Kindle.

Full note Author first name last name, Book Title: Subtitle (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s) or Alternate locator, Format.

1. Iris Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea (London: Vintage, 2008), chap. 5, Kindle.
Short note Author last name, Shortened Book Title , Page number(s) or Alternate locator.

2. Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea, chap. 3.

In author-date style, books are cited with brief in-text citations corresponding to entries in a reference list. A reference list looks the same as a bibliography, except that the year is placed directly after the author's name.

Format Author last name, first name. Year. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference list Rhys, Jean. 1997. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin.
In-text citation (Rhys 1997, 34)
Format Author last name, first name. Year. Book Title: Subtitle . Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference list Donaldson, Bruce. 2017. Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar. 3rd ed. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge.
In-text citation (Donaldson 2017, 67)
Format Author last name, first name. Year. Book Title: Subtitle . Translated by Translator first name last name. Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference list Mann, Thomas. 1999. The Magic Mountain. Translated by H. T. Lowe-Porter. London: Vintage.
In-text citation (Mann 1999, 405)
Format Author last name, first name. Year. "Chapter Title." In Book Title: Subtitle , edited by Editor first name last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference list Stewart, Bob. 2007. "Wag of the Tail: Reflecting on Pet Ownership." In Enriching Our Lives with Animals, edited by John Jaimeson, 220–90. Toronto: PetlovePress.
In-text citation (Stewart 2007, 228)
Format Author last name, first name. Year. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher.URL or DOI.
Reference list Murdoch, Iris. 2008. The Sea, the Sea. London: Vintage. https://books.google.nl/books?id=IJ5fL72Vvs8C.
In-text citation (Murdoch 2008, 23)
Format Author last name, first name. Year. Book Title : Subtitle . Place of publication: Publisher. Format.
Reference list Murdoch, Iris. 2008. The Sea, the Sea. London: Vintage. Kindle.
In-text citation (Murdoch 2008, chap. 5)

Frequently asked questions about Chicago style citations

How do I cite a source with multiple authors in Chicago style?

In a Chicago style footnote, list up to three authors. If there are more than three, name only the first author, followed by "et al."

In the bibliography, list up to 10 authors. If there are more than 10, list the first seven followed by "et al."

Full note Short note Bibliography
2 authors Anna Burns and Robert Smith Burns and Smith Burns, Anna, and Robert Smith.
3 authors Anna Burns, Robert Smith, and Judith Green Burns, Smith, and Green Burns, Anna, Robert Smith, and Judith Green.
4+ authors Anna Burns et al. Burns et al. Burns, Anna, Robert Smith, Judith Green, and Maggie White.

The same rules apply in Chicago author-date style.

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