How to Read a Book - Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

How to Read a Book

By Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

  • Release Date: 2011-05-10
  • Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
4 Score: 4 (From 103 Ratings)

Book Synopsis

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.

Tags in Language Arts & Disciplines : How to Read a Book Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren ebook , How to Read a Book Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren epub , How to Read a Book Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren AUDIOBOOK , How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren ePub (.epub) , How to Read a Book book review , Language Arts & Disciplines

Latest Impressions

  • A book worth reading once is worth reading twice (or four times!)

    5
    By TEDonahue
    The authors teach you how to read great books like you'll have them for a few days then never see them again--giving you the tools you need to make them your own and to remember them in a year or a decade. This includes learning to read on four different levels: analytically, synthetically, critically, and syntopically (more than one author on the same topic). Once you master the book, practice the techniques in a seminar or in a reading group. It's hard to read great books on your own (they are rarely easy to understand, or they would not be called great). It takes support and a few months to turn these reading techniques into habits.
  • This book did not help

    1
    By Little Mac 78910
    This book did not help at all I did not know how to read it :/
  • Best book ever!

    5
    By Spencweav
    If you want To learn how to read better, then this is the book for you! Adler breaks reading down to four levels which can be mastered by anyone.
  • A must read!

    5
    By rupe323
    Adler does a great job breaking down the purpose and methodology of the reader.