"How to Read a Book" by Mortimer J. Adler

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, 2nd edition, 1972.

This is a book about how to read books.

The big idea is that reading is a skill, with certain principles and rules that you must follow if you want to do it well.

Central to this skill of reading is what they call variable-speed reading. Which means that you should adjust the level of reading to the book you’re reading. Why? Because not everything is worth reading with the same care. In fact most books, they say, should only be read superficially.

But then when you come across the rare book that is worth studying deeper, you should do what the authors call an analytical reading. They present a general framework for how to do this, with 15 guiding principles split over three stages. After that they go through additions for different kinds of books — history, philosophy, science, and so on.

The focus is mainly on non-fiction books, but there is a section for how to apply the process to works of fiction, too.

I like this. I feel this is the kind of thing I should have been taught in school but never was. Sure, the book is over 50 years old by now. But the general principles are timeless. After having read it, and applied the principles, I’m definitely a better reader.

If you’re serious about reading, read this book.