The authors of Mentor in a Manual – Climbing the Academic Ladder to Tenure have undertaken the daunting task of providing a handbook to guide junior faculty at all types of institutions (from vocational colleges to the Ivy League) through the sometimes-nebulous tenure and promotion process. Authors A. Clay Schoenfeld and Robert Magnan offer twelve chapters of sage advice, each based on the authors’ extensive research and interviews with faculty and administrators across the country. As all good mentors do, Mentor in a Manual goes far beyond the original question ("What do I have to do to get tenure?"), and helps the reader re-think and re-contextualize the question, formulate new questions, and undergo self-assessment. The authors warn that "any assistant professor who actually thinks that any generic prescription might ensure him or her tenure is probably too naïve to survive in academia" (p. 24). Borrowing a line from The Music Man, the authors stress that "You’ve got to know your territory!" (p. 27), and in chapter after chapter they help the reader examine his/her institution, and ask pertinent questions.

Mentor in a Manual begins (Chapter 1) with an introduction to the life of an academic, that is at once inspirational ("No more rewarding challenge blesses any profession than to hold in its hands the young minds of the country" – p. 4), and reality-based. The newcomer to the profession is introduced to some of the pitfalls of life in academia and the challenges facing higher education. Included too is a list of expenses that a new professor should expect to incur while starting his/her career, and other practical issues that often catch junior faculty by surprise. In Chapter 2, the reader is introduced to a fictitious junior faculty member (Bill), at a fictitious university (Midland U), whose examples will be used throughout the subsequent chapters, alongside the many real-life examples. Chapters 3 ("Grasping Generic Institutional Expectations") and 4 ("Appreciating the Practical Politics of Getting Promoted") continue to offer very practical advice, probing questions, and telling insight into a diverse array of institutional cultures. Three chapters (5-7) are devoted to "The Teaching Challenge." This central portion of Mentor in a Manual reflects the central role that teaching increasingly plays in the tenure and promotion process. The authors make the case for faculty to take their teaching seriously even in environments where teaching is viewed as a "distraction," and provide numerous suggestions for successful teaching strategies and techniques for assessing student learning. They also focus on faculty development, and on ways for new faculty to document their efforts and successes in teaching, to maximize the recognition of these efforts. Chapter 9 helps new faculty understand and negotiate the Service portion of what the authors call "The Sacred Triad" (p. 28), and suggests ways to prioritize, strategize and document service to the institution, the profession, and the public. Chapters 8, 10, and 11 deal with research and publication. In keeping with the spirit of the Manual, these chapters offer solid theoretical advice on how to develop and pursue a strong research agenda, as well as practical tips for strengthening one’s scholarly writing, improving the odds that a manuscript will be accepted for publication, and figuring out the pecking order of prestige when it comes to getting published. The final chapter, "Presenting Your Credentials for the Ultimate Decision," encourages an ongoing approach to document collection and organization, as well as a portfolio approach to presenting one’s achievements in each area under review. And, just as a good mentor helps the protégé through good times and bad, this Mentor in a Manual provides an appendix "What Do I Do If I Don’t Make Tenure?" filled with strategies for turning a difficult point in one’s career into a potential catalyst for future development and success.

Mentor in a Manual is an excellent resource for untenured faculty, as well as for senior faculty who advise their junior colleagues. It enables new faculty to set goals for becoming the types of professionals they envision, and stresses professional ethics and integrity. It provides ready reference to the types of inspirational lists that faculty might copy and post on their bulletin boards, such as "The Hallmarks of Leadership," "The Hallmarks of Character," "The Ten Commandments of Tenure," and "Seven Principals for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education." One of the strengths of Mentor in a Manual is that this book-mentor states openly things that most faculty mentors would probably leave unsaid, and what most untenured professors would probably not risk asking. It addresses such issues as how faculty dress for class, whether or not personal relationships with students are okay, how late into the evening a faculty member should stay in the office, how to find a balance between family and professional life, whether or not to insist upon being called "Dr.", etc.

Mentor in a Manual is not without its flaws, and some may perceive its continual emphasis on "knowing the territory" as a drive towards conformity. The authors state: "Whether you opt to conform is up to you, in most situations, but your response will say something" (p. 144). Several references to certain types of institutions as "wannabe" institutions seemed unfortunately derogatory. And, the few pages devoted to technology in the teaching and research processes (pp. 130-132), while timely in 1994, should be updated if a new edition is completed.