Rating: 
Summary: Must Reading!
Review: A young Army Officer who operated a tiny used book store just outside Fort Hood (Texas) handed me this book when I was waiting to be discharged from the army. What more can you say for a book than: 'it changed the course of my life'? It did.
How many intellectually oriented books remain in print for sixty years? Not many. "How to Read a Book" insured I would not be restricted to the shallow fare our University's spoon out and I learned not give up on reading the Western Canon, which most university students today do. They flee from the classics, after one course. I did not. I knew something my teachers did not tell me. I knew from "How to Read a Book": 1) do not get side tracked looking up strange words or reading the commentary on the bottom of the pages. Do that and know nothing from the first reading, except frustration. Just read the story, treatise of book through. You will be surprised how much you comprehend; 2) No one masters a classic from one reading. For a decent grasp, figure on three readings; 3) The only books truly worth reading are books that are over your head.
"How to Read..." is not what many people conclude from the title. It is not a 'how to read manual.' It is a how to approach and comprehend different kinds of books. Adler's primary aim is to introduce people to learning by reading the Western Canon (The Great Books), which academics have all but expelled from school. "How to Read" could have been titled 'What Your Teachers Forgot to Teach You' or 'What Your Teachers Could Not Teach You. Adler points out (he wrote his book in the 1940s, concerned at how gullible people were to war propaganda) that few professors know how to read a book. Several years later, an Adler collegue published a journal article titled: "How to Read an Essay"
"How To Read..." gave me confidence to believe what I thought I discovered when I read academic reviews. It seemed that half the reviewers did not bother to read the book they "reviewed" and others seemed to criticize the book that was not written (Adler warns readers about this). I also found true Adler's advice that many students are turned off forever to writers such as Shakespeare because their teacher did not tell them to not worry about mastering a play or Great Book on first reading. Many students walk away mistakenenly conviced some have what it takes to read great books, others do not. (Today, many higher mathematics teachers convey to students that one either does or does not have what it takes to master mathematics. Like any other subject, the average person can master it. Mathematics is a language, a language smaller & more consistent than English. Genius just learns fast and can go further.) Just read. Do not get side tracked reading annotations, lengthy introductions, expert notes, or looking up words. Just read the story or essay. You will be surprised by what you do understand by the time you finish the work.
Adler teaches you that the book that is most worth reading is the book that is over your head. You must understand that a great book must be read at least three times. Just read the story the first time. If you wish, look up words and read commentary and notes the second or third time. Each time you read a Great Book you get more out of it. Annotations, commentaries, teachers rob you of the greatist gift of a great book, self-discovery.
Before you decide not to buy "How to Read a Book" pick up a copy and look it over. All libraries have a copy. It is a classic. If you are interesting in learning, you will want your own copy!
Rating:
Summary: A promise kept
Review: Adler does exactly what he promises in the title. He tells you how to read a book. I read this book for a high school rhetoric class and though we read it in three weeks, I was so impacted by it that I have tried to apply his many suggestions. He covers reading very thoroughly. Ideally, when we read a book, we first grasp what the author is saying (the who's and what's), then what he means, then how that relates to our life. These three steps fit into the first three levels of reading. The first asks 'What is the book saying?,' the second 'What type of book is it?,' and the third 'What does the book mean?.' There is another level which basically is a topical study- reading books to find what various authors say about a given topic. Adler recognizes that we often don't get much from a book because we don't know how to read well. (He covers the relationship between reader and writer and their responsibilities toward each other)So for each level he gives rules and suggestions for how to read on that level. Often these are in the form of questions to ask that book. Another thing Adler recognizes is that not all books are equal. Many books only need to be read on the first level, some on the second, and a few on the third. This also affects how fast one reads. The speed should match the difficulty, importance, and quality of the reading- even within the same book. In addition to covering the four reading levels, Adler takes different types of books and gives specific applications of his suggestions to these books. You would not ask the same questions of a history book that you would of a play. Oh and Adler provides exercises and a very good reading list to get you started on the road to good reading. So Adler is very thorough and logical in his presentation and the reading is very enjoyable. His style is easy to understand and interesting at the same time. He covers some other topics here and there like reading education and the great books. This is an excellent book for both students (life long learners included) and those who just want to learn and enjoy books more.
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!
Rating:
Summary: My conversion from being widely-read to well-read
Review: I am an engineer by training, and since I have been out of grad school for a few years now, I enjoy reading books in order to occupy my mind. However, I was what Adler and Van Doren would call a "widely-read" person, which is to say that I should have been pitied rather than respected. This book really changed my perception of reading from being a casual hobby to a lifelong process of self-education, and so I am currently undergoing my conversion to being a well-read reader, or a person who reads for understanding not just information. Others might scoff at my literary ignorance, but I was really impressed by Adler and Van Doren's suggestion that the Great Books should be read chronologically, in order to take part in this "Great Conversation" that has been going on since man learned how to write. Previously, I had regarded the Great Books as so many individual stars in a literary universe, with absolutely no rhyme or reason on where to begin reading. However, now, I am approaching these classics in a more disciplined way by following a chronological reading list, and this has added a dimension of understanding to my reading that I really had not encountered before. Adler and Van Doren say a lot in this book that I agree with, and previous reviewers have done a good job of summarizing the levels of reading, and the activities associated with them. However, I felt that the authors' suggestions for reading fiction were a bit vague and insufficient. For example, Adler and Van Doren say that the "truth" of a work of fiction is determined by its beauty to the reader, and the reader should be able to point out in the book the source of this beauty. Such a suggestion leaves a lot of things left unsaid and I felt that the authors could have commented a little more on how the reader could go about analyzing imaginative literature. Nevertheless, this book is a classic. If you consider yourself a serious reader, but have never been formally instructed in how to engage books, then I highly, wholeheartedly, and absolutely recommend that you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: My conversion from being widely-read to well-read
Review: I am an engineer by training, and since I have been out of grad school for a few years now, I enjoy reading books in order to occupy my mind. However, I was what Adler and Van Doren would call a "widely-read" person, which is to say that I should have been pitied rather than respected. This book really changed my perception of reading from being a casual hobby to a lifelong process of self-education, and so I am currently undergoing my conversion to being a well-read reader, or a person who reads for understanding not just information. Others might scoff at my literary ignorance, but I was really impressed by Adler and Van Doren's suggestion that the Great Books should be read chronologically, in order to take part in this "Great Conversation" that has been going on since man learned how to write. Previously, I had regarded the Great Books as so many individual stars in a literary universe, with absolutely no rhyme or reason on where to begin reading. However, now, I am approaching these classics in a more disciplined way by following a chronological reading list, and this has added a dimension of understanding to my reading that I really had not encountered before. Adler and Van Doren say a lot in this book that I agree with, and previous reviewers have done a good job of summarizing the levels of reading, and the activities associated with them. However, I felt that the authors' suggestions for reading fiction were a bit vague and insufficient. For example, Adler and Van Doren say that the "truth" of a work of fiction is determined by its beauty to the reader, and the reader should be able to point out in the book the source of this beauty. Such a suggestion leaves a lot of things left unsaid and I felt that the authors could have commented a little more on how the reader could go about analyzing imaginative literature. Nevertheless, this book is a classic. If you consider yourself a serious reader, but have never been formally instructed in how to engage books, then I highly, wholeheartedly, and absolutely recommend that you read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Huh?
Review: I might not be a Fulbright Scholar, but it seems to me that a book titled 'How to Read a Book' has serious retailing problems. Anyone who can read doesn't need to buy it, and those who can't read wouldn't understand a single word of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Help!
Review: I never could bring mice elf to finish this book. Does anyone know if there are cliff notes?
Rating:
Summary: Read this book - at least twice!
Review: I read the original version of this book which was first published in 1940. I was so enamored with the book that upon finishing the 1940 version (which I had obtained from the library), I went out and bought the updated edition and read that! The updated edition (published in 1970) is even better than the original. The material is more logically organized and topics such as speed reading which were absent from the original edition are now discussed. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. If you are an avid reader you will learn how to get so much more out of your reading than what you get already. And, perhaps most importantly, you'll get the courage and confidence to tackle a more difficult yet more rewarding class of books. Read this book before you read anything else!
Rating:
Summary: Scary are the Educated Who Don't Think They Need this Book
Review: I'll never forget when someone (who was smart, experienced and a responsible adult) smirked and wisecrack upon seeing "How to Read a Book" on my bookshelf. That self-satisfied tone or irony summed up the current situation in education more than a 1000 words ever could.
Adler and Van Doren's work will stand the test of time, while post-modern fads comming from deconstructionism will fade.
It forever altered my reading habits for the better. As many great reads, it's great to read every few years to take stock and IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING.
I thought I knew what I knew about reading before reading this book, but I really didn't know what I didn't know. But now that I know what I don't know, READING IS EVEN MORE FUN AND CHALLENGING THAN BEFORE.
I had to laugh at a recent childish essay in the Sunday New York Times Magazine warning readers that there was too much excitement about reading at book fairs. SO TYPICAL OF THE LIBERAL MEDIA.
While the deconstructionists served tenured radicals such as feminists, critical legal theorists, radical homosexuals, radical environmentalists, and race and ethnic studies hustlers, Adler and Van Doren serve (WHAT A CONCEPT!!!) THE NORMAL READER.
Tenured radicals will barely acknowledge the existence of "How to Read a Book". As usual, such bufoons can only sneer.
Rating:
Summary: A critical guide for reading comprehension skills
Review: If you've ever finished a book and walked away thinking, "what?" this book's for you. It's a recommended part of the ninth grade curriculum for the Well Trained Mind. This book is best used BEFORE you start your great books list that you know you've been thinking you ought to start reading.
How to Read a Book will tell you it's OK to write in the margins of your books. It will tell you about rereading passages for clarity and then for argument.
You come away from this book thinking, "ok, your title didn't have to be quite so snooty, but I think I get it now." You'll be amazed that you ever retained any information when you read books before.
It's a good read, too.
One of the authors is the guy from Quiz Show.
|
