How to Read a Book
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler, published by Simon and Schuster in 1972, is a revised and updated edition that spans 426 pages. This guide focuses on enhancing reading comprehension for the general reader, presenting a comprehensive approach to understanding various levels of reading. The book outlines techniques for elementary reading, systematic skimming, inspectional reading, and speed reading, providing insights into how to critically engage with texts.
Readers will find detailed instruction on the best practices for approaching different genres, including practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, and works in philosophy and social science. The edition also features a recommended reading list and includes reading tests designed to help individuals measure their progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed. This resource serves as a practical reference for those looking to improve their literacy and critical reading abilities.
Official synopsis Publisher
With half a million copies in print, How to Read a Book is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader, completely rewritten and updated with new material.
A CNN Book of the Week: “Explains not just why we should read books, but how we should read them. It’s masterfully done.” –Farheed Zakaria
Originally published in 1940, this book is a rare phenomenon, a living classic that introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them—from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading. Readers will learn when and how to “judge a book by its cover,” and also how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text.
Also included is instruction in the different techniques that work best for reading particular genres, such as practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science works.
Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests you can use measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed.
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