1972年8月15日 · 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.

How to Read a Book is a book by the American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler. Originally published in 1940, it was heavily revised for a 1972 edition, co-authored by Adler with editor Charles Van Doren. The 1972 revision gives guidelines for critically reading good and great books of any tradition.

2020年1月8日 · The 1972 edition of the famous How to Read a Book. (The first page of the PDF is the cover of the first edition. The rest of the PDF is the 1972 edition.)

How to Read a Book attempts to inculcate skills that are useful for reading anything. These skills, however, are more than merely useful—they are necessary—for the reading of great books, those that are of enduring interest and importance.

2021年10月12日 · The authors, Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, introduce the concept of four levels of reading: elementary reading, inspectional reading, analytical reading, and syntopical reading. The levels are cumulative, which means that each gradation includes the techniques and skills of the lower levels.

2011年5月10日 · 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.

Adler breaks reading into four levels with concrete strategies for each: inspectional reading to evaluate books quickly, analytical reading to grasp core arguments, and syntopical reading of multiple books for deep understanding.

Find out more about How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren at Simon & Schuster. Read book reviews & excerpts, watch author videos & more.