How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent 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.

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.
• Guides readers on how to achieve these levels, from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading.
• Teaches when and how to “judge a book by its cover,” how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text.

Techniques for Reading Different Genres

The book also provides instructions tailored to specific types of literature, including:

• Practical books
• Imaginative literature
• Plays
• Poetry
• History
• Science and mathematics
• Philosophy
• Social science works

Finally, the authors offer:

• A recommended reading list.
• Reading tests to measure your progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed.