How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

Adler and Van Doren begin Chapter 1 by explaining that their book is “for those whose main purpose in reading books is to gain increased understanding” (3). According to the authors, reading is an active exercise rather than passive, but the degree of “active reading” can vary. They suggest that receiving communication of any kind is just as much an activity as speaking and writing. The more actively one reads, the more they will understand what the writer is communicating.

Chapter 1 also explores the three primary goals of reading: reading for information, understanding, and entertainment. Reading for entertainment “is the least demanding kind of reading” as it “requires the least amount of effort” (10). Reading for information stems from a reader reaching their limit in understanding an author’s communication. In this case, the reader may gain information but cannot increase their understanding. Reading for understanding can only take place when a reader acquires greater understanding of the author’s message through active reading. Two conditions must exist for this type of reading to take place: The writer must possess superior insight on a given topic compared to the reader, and the reader must overcome their lack of understanding.

Reading for information and reading for understanding embody two different types of learning: learning through instruction and learning through discovery. Learning through instruction is simply gaining information via communication, while learning through discovery is done via research, investigation, and reflection. Adler and Van Doren compare these two types of learning to being taught by either a present teacher or an absent teacher. A teacher who is present can answer potential questions, but an absent teacher requires learners to find answers alone. The authors argue that “listening is learning from a teacher who is present—a living teacher—while reading is learning from one who is absent” (14).

In Chapter 2, Adler and Van Doren introduce readers to the four levels of reading. They argue that “the differences between the levels must be understood before any effective improvement in reading skills can occur” (16). The four levels are distinct but cumulative in effect—meaning that the higher levels include aspects of the lower ones. When a reader advances to the next level, they continue to employ previously learned skills. When engaging with the first level, elementary reading, “one learns the rudiments of the art of reading, receives basic training in reading, and acquires initial reading skills” (17). The second level is inspectional reading, which could be described as systematically skimming a book. This level is characterized by time, “to get the most out of a book within a given time” (18).

The third level, analytical reading, is more complex and systematic than the previous levels (19). Analytical reading is the most thorough (highly active) type of reading that can be done without a time limit. It is rarely needed when one is reading for entertainment or information. The fourth and highest level of reading, syntopical reading, is the most complex and systematic. Syntopical reading is comparative reading, in which “the reader reads many books, not just one, and places them in relation to one another and to a subject about which they all revolve” (20). With syntopical reading, the reader can develop new analyses of a given subject that may or may not be addressed in any of their books.

Chapter 3 focuses on the first level of reading, elementary reading. Adler and Van Doren begin the chapter with a historical analysis of how reading has been taught in America over the last century with its various methods and changes. Recent research shows that there are at least four stages in a child’s progress toward mature reading ability (24). The first stage, known as reading readiness, begins at birth and continues until the age of six or seven (kindergarten level). This stage includes physical readiness—meaning that a child has good vision and hearing, intellectual readiness (a certain level of visual perception and memory), language readiness (clear speech and use of sentences), and personal readiness (the ability to work with other children and follow directions).

The second stage is word mastery (first-grade level). In this stage, children expand their vocabulary to roughly 300-400 words and are introduced to basic skills such as parsing context. By the end of this stage, “pupils are expected to be reading simple books independently and with enthusiasm” (25). The third stage comprises vocabulary growth and the utilization of context clues, or “functional literacy” (fourth-grade level). This stage encourages children to read outside of school. The fourth and final stage of elementary reading comprises reading refinement and skill enhancement—which should be attained by one’s early teen or junior high school years. It is during this period that a student becomes a mature reader and is able to assimilate their reading experiences.

According to Adler and Van Doren, American high schools traditionally “have provided little reading instruction for their students, and the colleges have provided none” (28). This changed somewhat with high schools in the 1930s and colleges in the 1960s, as both recognized that many students needed remedial reading instruction. However, the remedial nature of high school and college reading courses entails that students are still not instructed beyond the elementary reading level. The authors argue that “a good college, if it does nothing else, ought to produce competent syntopical readers” (29).

The second level of reading, inspectional reading, comprises two types of activities—although both can be performed simultaneously by an experienced reader. The first of these activities is systematic skimming, or pre-reading. A reader’s goal in skimming “is to discover whether the book requires a more careful reading” (32). The reader should skim the book’s title page, preface, table of contents, index, and a few chapters that seem pivotal—with a focus on a handful of paragraphs and final pages. The second type of inspectional reading is superficial reading. This consists of reading a book quickly, without “stopping to look up or ponder the things you do not understand” (36). Adler and Van Doren stress that a second reading may be necessary, but it should only be done after an uninterrupted initial reading.

Both types of inspectional reading are tied to reading speed. The authors stress that the pace of one’s reading should vary depending on the nature and difficulty of a given text. In other words, “the ideal is not merely to be able to read faster, but to be able to read at different speeds—and to know when the different speeds are appropriate” (39). Although full comprehension of a book cannot be achieved until the next level of reading—analytical reading—is mastered, basic comprehension comes with concentration. Fixation (fixating on certain words or phrases) and regression (returning to previously read sentences) can be overcome by employing one’s finger as a “pointer” for the eyes.

In the final chapter of Part 1, Adler and Van Doren explore the ways in which one can become a demanding reader. They provide suggestions that a reader can employ to fully profit from their reading. The first of these suggestions is the essence of active reading, four questions that a reader must consider while reading: What is the book about as a whole? What is being said in detail and how? Is the book true, in whole or part? What of it? (46-47).

The first question entails that a reader discover a book’s main theme. The second question involves discovering an author’s main ideas, assertions, and arguments. The third question is straightforward, but the reader must first know the author’s intent. The fourth and final question concerns the book’s significance (46-47).

Another suggestion for becoming a demanding reader is “making a book your own,” or marking a book while reading (48). Various types of marking include underlining or circling important passages, using a star or asterisk to indicate important statements, writing numbers to indicate a sequence of points or numbering pages containing similar points, and making notes in the margins. Note-taking in itself is an important part of active reading. The three types of note-taking include structural (which concerns a book’s structure rather than its substance), conceptual (the author’s ideas and subject matter), and dialectical notes (comparative notes that include ideas from other authors and books).