How to Read a Book cover art

How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

How to Read a Book

By: Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
Narrated by: Edward Holland
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

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. Audiences 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.

©2021 Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren (P)2021 Simon & Schuster Audio Words, Language & Grammar Intelligent Reading

Listeners also enjoyed...

 I Know What to Do, So Why Don't I Do It? cover art
Twelve Pillars cover art
A Mind for Numbers cover art
Get Out of Your Own Way cover art
The Story of Philosophy cover art
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance cover art
The Right - and Wrong - Stuff cover art
Communication cover art
Accelerated Learning: Learn Faster and Improve Your Memory cover art
The Essays of Warren Buffett cover art
The Elements of Style cover art
The Jim Rohn Guides Complete Set cover art
The Story of Human Language cover art
How To Read People Like A Book cover art
Communication cover art
Charisma Improvement + Advanced Memory: 2 in 1 Bundle cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.