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How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

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How to Read a Book

By: Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
Narrated by: Edward Holland
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About this listen

 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. Education Words, Language & Grammar Intelligent Reading
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This book was mentioned in another book I read as a thought provoking, paradigm shifting read. It was on some levels although it was pretty long and heavy going, and seemed more like an educational text or a school lecture. The tone is very much of its time, but once you get past all of that, there was definitely a lot in here that will help my future approach to reading - and formulating my own thoughts and opinions - in general.

Heavy going but a few nuggets in there

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One of the best book on books , teaches you how to read. I will recommend this book to anyone

Best book classic guide to intelligent read

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I tried reading this book physically on many occasions over the last 3 years. Really struggled - it is a practical academic guide and quite dry & dense. BUT with this reader in my head it became accessible. I felt like I was being taught by my wise old grandpa the secrets to growing my mind. I have used the print version alongside as instructed in the book to annotate, highlight, summarise its arguments and recommendations. This book is old but largely unaged, and full of wisdom. Thoroughly recommend to anyone about to embark on a serious course of study. This should help you get to grips with any type of material! So proud of myself for finishing…

Better as a series of lectures - listen up!

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This is a long, sometimes laborious listening exercise. There are undoubtably some fascinating insights into the art of reading and the skills one can acquire to do so effectively. However, this is sometimes bogged down by details into the minutae of how one can learn to acquire this skill. It is worth following all the way through but patience is required!

Very Instructional

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