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Summary: What Reading is Really All About
Review: As a book reviewer for the past 20 years, with hundreds of reviews in print and electronic media, I think I know a little about reading books. I was fascinated to find that Adler and Van Doren have, in HOW TO READ A BOOK, clearly articulated what I had discovered on my own.Most people read at an elementary level. Common print media -- newspapers, magazines -- are geared to this first level, that of eighth or ninth grade. Reading at this level is simple and unsophisticated. It is a fairly simple procedure. As someone once said, "You just pick up a book and look at every word until you've seen them all." The second level of reading is inspectional. Two steps are performed simultaneously. The reader skims, or pre-reads, by studying the title page, preface, table of contents, index, dust jacket and a chapter or two. He thumbs through the book, reading a bit here and there. Then he reads the entire book superficially without bothering whether he understands it or not. I might argue that if you don't understand what you're reading, you're not reading at all. However, this is the kind of reading I do when I'm selecting a book to review. It is just the beginning. Adler and Van Doren argue that this kind of superficial reading can prepare a reader for enjoying more difficult works. "The tremendous pleasure that can come from reading Shakespeare, for example, was spoiled for generations of high school students who were forced to go through 'Julius Caesar,''As You Like It,' or 'Hamlet' scene by scene, looking up all the strange words in a glossary and studying all the footnotes," write the authors. "As a result, the never read a Shakespeare play. By the time they reached the end, they had forgotten the beginning and lost sight of the whole...They should have been encouraged to read the play at one sitting and discuss what they got out of that first quick reading. Only then would they have been ready to study the play carefully and closely because then they would have understood enough of it to learn more." The book describes how to be an active reader. A clue for the average reader: Active readers don't go to sleep over books. The third level of reading is analytical reading, which is what book reviewers do. The reader classifies the book, reads it carefully, determines the author's message and evaluates how well it's presented and compares it to comparable works. Adler and Van Doren cover subjects like classifying books, x-raying them, determining the author's message, how to criticize a book fairly, and the role of relevant experience in reading. They then go on to describe the different approaches to various kinds of reading -- practical books, imaginative literature, plays, stories, poems, history, science, mathematics, social sciences, and philosophy. The highest level of reading, synoptical reading, is the reading of several books on a particular subject. They describe how to select a bibliography (which I found truly useful), how to narrow the subject, how to inspect the material. The five steps of synoptical reading are included in this chapter. Reading is a search for truth, and truth can be found only through thoughtful comparison and discussion. "The truth then, insofar as it can be found -- the solution to the problem, insofar as that is available to us -- consists rather in the ordered discussion itself than in any set of propositions or assertions about it...thus, in order to present this truth to our minds -- and to the minds of others -- we have to do more than merely ask and answer the questions. We have to ask them in a certain order, and be able to defend that order." Sunnye Tiedemann (aka Ruth F. Tiedemann)
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Summary: Now I know how to read, but...
Review: This book does everything its title promises and more. It will change the way I read forever. Two quibbles, however: 1. Being someone who has a real job, sometimes I'm too tired to read well. I wish the book gave some advice on how to read when you're tired. Should you even bother? Or should you just forget about reading and go to sleep or watch television? What's worse: risking the sophomoric, or lapsing into the comfortable weekend reader who can't read syntopically because she doesn't have the time? The authors ignore people like me, except for a passing reference to the fact that being tired can make you a lazy reader, and "that's not our fault." 2. The authors devote an entire chapter to a wonderful reference called a "Syntopicon," which has all the major classic works divided by subject and page number so that you look up a subject and then see what each work has to say about it. That sounds great, but darned if I can find where a Syntopicon is, or how to get one. Were they being facetious, or is that really what it's called? It's like getting a cookbook and all the recipes in it have this weird substance that no grocery store in your area sells or has even heard of.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the point?
Review: This is the perfect example of a self-defeating product. If a person does not know how to read, how can that person possibly get anything out of this book? On the other hand, if a person does know how to read, what is the point of reading about how to read?
Rating: 
Summary: More Skillful Reading
Review: Do you remember being amazed by the disparity between reading abilities amongst your class-mates? I do. Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren assert that most people never learn to read for deep comprehension. In those remembered classes, I was amongst the stronger students. Only once I was beyond college did I realize I wanted to read more closely and tackle more challenging texts. HOW TO READ A BOOK tackles the essential skills you need to read intelligently and learn from the greatest teachers of all time.
It teaches how to read a single work on its own, how to read different genres effectively (including an interesting section on dramas and plays, which are essentially blueprints of complete performance works), and how to read books in relation to each other so one can understand the great conversation amongst books (so fascinatingly visited in The Name of the Rose). I feel that I have made a leap in my comprehension and analytical skills by working through this book. Unfortunately, "working" is an appropriate verb. The authors are verbose, making their points over and over, to the detriment of clarity and simplicity. If you are interested in learning to analyze philosophy and practical works, are engaging in higher studies and find your skills falling short of your expectations, or just want to push yourself, take the time to read this handbook. Expect to draw comments from everyone who sees it in your hands -- for everyone believes that reading is a simple skill. Know that you are working towards making it an art!
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Summary: Indispensable
Review: Excellent. I just re-read it again after nearly 20 years. It inspired me years ago to go to a great books college for a Master's degree. I found its advice quite useful there, and, returning to it after all these years, I still found it helpful when dealing with texts. It's also a good deal more nuanced then I remembered, with good advice on how to place texts in context, for example. If you've never read it, and you have a vague sense that your education is somehow incomplete and you'd like to remedy that, this is your book. Period.
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Summary: The Art of Reading 101
Review: The first time I ever saw this book was my first year in college where it was required reading . . . unfortunately, I pretty much tossed it aside after looking at the "embarrasing" title, which screamed: "Hey look, I'm illiterate!" Years after I graduated (and had sold my copy) I came across it again sitting face up in a used book-shop, staring me in the face as if to say: "We've unfinished business, you and me!". So, I decided to give it a second chance. It's now thoroughly underlined, highlighted, and thumbed through. I continue to use the reading list in the appendix as a lifetime must-read list. This is one of those books that really should be required reading in college, and perhaps high-school (but I doubt most high school students would bother with it). The fraction that I did originally read in college stayed with me all these years, and brought me back to the complete book. I won't go into detail of how the book works (other reviewers have done that), but will say that if you follow Adler & Van Doren's suggestions for active, passionate reading you'll find yourself enjoying books more than ever. And, in my case, enjoying the act of reading for the first time in my life. Since first reading "How to Read a Book" some years ago, I've rarely been without reading material that I was enthusiastic about, and continue to use the suggestions in this "guide to intelligent reading" at various times to remind myself of such things as the difference between reading for information vs. understanding; or when and how to read long novels quickly and with immersion and not get lost or bogged down without taking forever to finish, if at all. This guide is filled with information and recommendations which most of us probably think we already know, but since the subject of reading itself isn't usually well taught, becomes a classic, and vital handbook for any serious reader.
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Summary: The Bible guide of reading art
Review: Absolutelly awesome. Just an advice. Read it...and PRACTICE it. It's worth it. Don't read anything before this incredible book. Don't be one of those lazy people who take a glance the book in 2 minutes and throw it away because they alredy "know" all that stuff. This is a practical book. The fact that the book is easy to read and understand, and that is a matter of common sense, doesn't mean that it's a bad book. Take at least 30 min a-day, a full month. Only when you put all that text into practice you will know how incredible book you had in your hands. I did.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is an excellent overview of how to get more out of what you read. Some of what it contains will be common knowledge to most college students. However, there are some excellent points made about dissecting a book and such. I especially enjoyed the section about how to read different types of books and how to read syntopically. Even if you are used to reading analytically, this book is worth picking up.
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Summary: And I Thought I Knew How To Read...
Review: My reasons for reading this book are many. The initial one was curiosity, because the title intrigued me. Another reason, and a more important one, was the fact that I am now studying for a Doctor of Business Administration degree, which is purely based on my learning from reading. Being someone for whom English is a second language, it is my opinion that my skills can always be improved and it was in that spirit that I took this book into my daily life. In fairness, this is not the easiest book my hands have ever touched or my eyes have ever rested upon, but having spent the time to read it, my opinion is that it will make a significant difference to my reading and learning in the future. It is easy to fool oneself by thinking that one knows all or most of what there is to know about reading, since most people's reading starts at an early age. Some people is likely to have that kind of attitude and dismiss this book, however if they read it they would come to discover that there is so much to be learned by reading it. "How to Read a Book" is now amongst the books that I treasure. It is a joy to read as one learns the principles of reading from its pages, and then later applys them to reading the book itself as it will have to be read in more than one sitting. I now find that my reading has been improving and my understanding of what I am reading is growing thanks to applying what I am learning from it. I believe that anyone who reads can benefit from "How to Read a Book", even more so the ones who really need to learn from the books read, as applying the right techniques can make all the difference to the enjoyment as well as the benefits obtained from reading a book. The authors have written such a valuable work because not only do they describe how reading a book should be approached but also whether a book should be read at all so at a minimum the reader would save time after reading it, if not improving their skills in reading, however I think they will achieve both things. I now find that my reading has been improving and my understanding of what I am reading is growing thanks to applying what I am learning from it, as I revisit it. I believe that anyone who reads can benefit from "How to Read a Book", even more so the ones who really need to learn from the books read. Amongst the many things learned from the book is how to read the work of poets and philosophers, which have always attracted me. Not having English as my first language, I did not have an early exposure to the works of people like Shakespeare; therefore I am glad that now I will be able to do it the right way and therefore obtain maximum enjoyment from it. I am sure others can write a much better review than I did, so I will stop here and just say that this is a great read and I thoroughly recommend it to any reader, not matter now advanced they think they might be, because this book will make them better readers.
Rating: 
Summary: To learn how to read books -- read books
Review: Would you learn to play music by reading books? Would you learn to play sports by reading a book? Nope. It is no different with books. Someone who's not an avid reader will not benefit from this book as he probably won't understand what it's about, or rather, will not be able to relate the advice therein with his own experience (because of a lack of such.) An inveterate bookworm, on the other hand, will not extract much of anything useful from it: he will have already learned on his own much of the advice in this book simply by virtue of reading a lot. Is one supposed to memorize this "method" and then keep it in mind while reading instead of concentrating on the subject matter? I'm not sure if that would be a productive attitude, and I'm sure an unmotivated, reluctant reader would not do that no matter what -- for him, simply to read will be enough of a trial. I'm not sure what a book like that is good for... I've found nothing new in there, nothing that I wouldn't already know myself. Well, perhaps this huge list of "must-read" books, an obligatory professorly "cultural legacy" program at the end? Not even that... it's too pedantic. You really should read not according to any lists but following own predilections, and perhaps following bibliographies (guided by own tastes as well.) An already well-read person will perhaps find paging through a list of formally stated methods of careful reading marginally useful -- simply as a formalization of his own, perhaps never articulated (but long in existence) reading heuristics, so to say; but no more than that. To be sure, there's nothing wrong per se with this book; it wont do any harm, but at the same time, I can't think of a situation where I would recommend this cold, pedantic, somewhat pompous even, professorly -- but fundamentally very trivial book to anyone; it simply lacks a target audience; it has an appearance of something graciously indited by a very learned person to demonstrate his learnedness under the pretext of edifying supposedly unwashed masses. In order to learn anything you need to do that thing, not to read about it. So go and read the books themselves; let your mind and passion guide you naturally; you don't need an initiation by mystagogues; there's nothing esoteric about reading.
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