How to Read a BookWith 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. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - nsenger - LibraryThingSome books take no extra skills to read--all of their benefits are on the surface waiting for you. Others hide their treasures below the surface and you have to go after them like a deep sea diver ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - dham340 - LibraryThingThis book deserves a detailed review but, I think the best review I could give it is this: Oh how I wish I had read this when I was 18! Highly recommended. Read full review
Contents
11 | |
Stages of Learning to Read 24 Stages and Levels | 26 |
Systematic Skimming or Pre | 41 |
How to Be a Demanding Reader | 45 |
PART | 57 |
The Importance of Classifying Books 60 What | 70 |
Stating the Unity of a Book 78 | 78 |
The Reciprocal Arts of Reading and Writ | 94 |
PART THREE | 189 |
How to Read Imaginative Literature | 203 |
Suggestions for Reading Stories Plays and Poems | 215 |
How to Read History | 234 |
How to Read Science and Mathematics | 255 |
How to Read Philosophy | 270 |
How to Read Social Science | 296 |
PART FOUR | 305 |
Words vs Terms 96 Finding the Key Words 100 | 100 |
Technical Words and Special Vocabularies 103 Find | 106 |
Determining an Authors Message | 114 |
Sentences vs Propositions 117 Finding the Key Sen | 136 |
Agreeing or Disagreeing with an Author | 152 |
Aids to Reading | 168 |
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Common terms and phrases
able active agree analytical reading answer apply arguments become beginning better called CANTo cause chapter comes common complete concerned contents course critical Dante deal difficult discover discussion effort example experience expository express fact fiction follow four give human idea imaginative important inspectional interest interpretation kind knowledge language least less live major mathematics matter means mind natural never notes novel observed Origin outline perhaps person philosophical play poem political possible practical principles probably problem propositions questions reader reason reference relation rules scientific sense sentences single skill social solve sort species stage statement steps story syntopical reading tell things third thought tion true truth understand unity usually whole words writing