[2][3] Edited by Samuel B. Bandara, acquisition librarian at the university, the publication was intended to be "the complete source for Caribbean book news" (as stated below the masthead of Issue number 1, dated August 1991, and on subsequent issues),[4] and combined book reviews with bibliographical information, interviews, and other features.

[5] When some crucial UWIPA resources were absorbed into the newly founded University of the West Indies Press in 1993 and no external funding could be secured, The Caribbean Review of Books ceased publication.

[6] In May 2004, under publisher Jeremy Taylor and editor Nicholas Laughlin,[7][8] the new Caribbean Review of Books—CRB for short—was launched as a quarterly magazine aimed at a general readership, supported by subscriptions and advertising.

The CRB became an independent non-profit organisation in 2006, and secured a grant from the Prince Claus Foundation,[9] and continued support from MEP.

In November 2013, the CRB began a partnership with the Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad and Tobago's annual literature festival, while maintaining its editorial independence.