how to read a book book by mortimer j adler

' I enjoyed reading this but 10 years later I don't really follow Adler's advice, so it obviously didn't have a very big impact on me.

' educational, non-fiction: recommend it for the college bound or a person interested in reading the Great Books. What I found in it that I not only enjoyed but 'increased my understanding' was a greater message on Adler's philosophy on reading and learning.

I fell into the latter of these categories, and while I enjoyed his instructional book, I could not help but feel as if I were wasting my time. ' Reading this book, one has to force themselves to either do as Adler instructs, or to humor him as they do what they've done naturally for years. Essential read for the student, teacher, life-long reader. Adler organizes and structures common sense knowledge on books and reading into a single unit which is not so common. The book not only helped me to approach reading in various ways, but also gave me permission to scan a work to get a quick understanding of its contents. ' This book discusses the various ways to read different kinds of literature and levels of reading.

Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.

Bonus points to the coverage of the method of reading different kinds of books and to the reading list at the end!' Also, the way the book is written for contemporary period is very thoughtful of the author indeed. The text is well-divided into appropriate sections that explain step-by-step and in a very detailed and practical manner, as how to go about reading a book. 'A complete, systematic and excellently written account of the really valuable art of 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.Īlso 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.įinally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests you can use measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed. 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. 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.Ī CNN Book of the Week: “Explains not just why we should read books, but how we should read them.

How to read a book book by mortimer j adler