How to Read a Book  (English, Paperback, Adler Mortimer J.)

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Jerome Adler and Charles Van Doren elucidates the many levels of reading, the techniques involved in it and the steps to achieving better comprehension, focus and information from a book.

Summary Of The Book

How to Read a Book is the quintessential tome that introduces the whole concept of reading. One that teaches comprehension of different genres in reading including science, fiction, poetry and even history, the book has become a rare classic over the years.

How to Read a Book tells general readers everything they need to know about reading from elementary and basic reading to a methodical skimming to inspectional reading to browsing or reading with speed. The reader will know exactly what it is to pigeonhole a text, X-ray a book, gather the author's general message and finally even criticise the book.

It also covers the various techniques of reading for an assortment of books ranging from imaginative books, practical literature, poetry, plays, science and mathematics, history, social science and philosophy.

How to Read a Book is essentially divided into four parts. The first section called the Activity of Reading explains whom a book targets and what the many classes of reading are. This section presents an argument about reading great books and also an explanation regarding the intention of writing this book.

The second part is about The Third Level of Reading which is known as Analytical Reading. Here, the authors explain the methodology that goes into reading non-fiction.

The book classifies the approaches to reading into three sections -- interpretative, critical and structural. The explanation to these is in part three of the book and is called the ‘Approaches to Different Kinds of Reading Matter’.

The focus is on dealing with approaches to reading fiction and poetry. This part also throws light on the method of approaching good books with many examples. The fourth part of How to Read a Book is titled the Ultimate Goals of Reading and addresses syntopical reading and the benefits of this kind of reading.

Originally published in 1940, How to Read a Book, was revised in 1970. Considered one of the most successful guides and the bestselling books on reading comprehension, at the end of book the authors offer a suggested reading list. The book is also accompanied with reading tests where readers can measure their progress in reading skills, speed and comprehension.

About The Authors

Mortimer Jerome Adler was an American educator, author and philosopher.

He is the writer of Dialectic, Art and Prudence: A Study in Practical Philosophy, and How to Think About War and Peace.

His ultimate aim was to become a journalist for which he dropped out of school at 14. He then started working with the New York Sun as a copy boy. But he returned to education, took writing classes at night and later joined the Columbia University from where he eventually received a doctorate in psychology.

He was married twice and had four children.

Charles Van Doren was an American writer, editor and intellectual.

His academic interests were rather broad where he graduated from The High School of Music & Art, earned a B.A. degree in Liberal Arts, a master's degree in astrophysics and a doctorate in English. He was born to the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Mark Van Doren and writer Dorothy Van Doren.