How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

By: Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

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Hardcover | 30 April 2025

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With more than half a million copies in print worldwide and now in this stunning hardback edition, How to Read a Book is the classic and definitive guide to reading comprehension for students of literature, scholars across disciplines, and anyone who just loves to read.

Originally written in 1940 and first published by Simon & Schuster in 1972, How to Read a Book introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them in order to gain the most understanding and insight from any book. From elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading and beyond, readers will learn when and how to ‘judge a book by its cover,’ perceive structure no matter the prose, read critically, and extract an author’s message from any text.

Also included are specific reading techniques that work best for particular genres, whether they be practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy or social science works. A recommended reading list and multiple reading comprehension tests are incorporated as well in order to measure progress in reading skills, speed, and understanding.

As poignant and applicable today as it was on first publication, this beautiful, special hardcover edition is the perfect way for new readers to pick up How to Read a Book and for dedicated fans to rediscover this rare phenomenon, the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension.

Industry Reviews

‘It shows concretely how the serious work of proper reading may be accomplished and how much it may yield in the way of instruction and delight.’

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