How to Read a Book: the classic guide to intelligent reading

by Mortimer J. Adler

Kinds of Theoretical Books

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7 X-raying a Book

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RULE 2. STATE THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE BOOK IN A SINGLE SENTENCE, OR AT MOST A FEW SENTENCES (A SHORT PARAGRAPH).

There is only one way to know that you have succeeded. You must be able to tell yourself or anybody else what the unity is, and in a few words.

RULE 3. SET FORTH THE MAJOR PARTS OF THE BOOK, AND SHOW HOW THESE ARE ORGANIZED INTO A WHOLE, BY BEING ORDERED TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE.

The best books are those that have the most intelligible structure.

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a book is something different to each reader. It would not be surprising if that difference expressed itself in the way the reader stated its unity.

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Mastering the Multiplicity: The Art of Outlining a Book

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According to the second rule, we had to say: The whole book is about so and so and such and such. That done, we might obey the third rule by proceeding as follows: (1) The author accomplished this plan in five major parts, of which the first part is about so and so, the second part is about such and such, the third part is about this, the fourth part about that, and the fifth part about still another thing. (2) The first of these major parts is divided into three sections, of which the first considers X, the second considers Y, and the third considers Z.

The Reciprocal Arts of Reading and Writing

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If the writing has unity, we must find it. If the writing has clarity and coherence, we must appreciate it by finding the distinction and the order of the parts.

Discovering the Author’s Intentions

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RULE 4. FIND OUT WHAT THE AUTHOR’S PROBLEMS WERE.

You should be able to state the main question that the book tries to answer, and you should be able to state the subordinate questions if the main question is complex and has many parts.

The First Stage of Analytical Reading

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THE FIRST STAGE OF ANALYTICAL READING, OR RULES FOR FINDING WHAT A BOOK IS ABOUT

1. Classify the book according to kind and subject matter.

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2. State what the whole book is about with the utmost brevity.

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3. Enumerate its major parts in their order and relation, and outline these parts as you have outlined the whole.

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4. Define the problem or problems the author is trying to solve.

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8 Coming to Terms with an Author

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Unless the reader comes to terms with the author, the communication of knowledge from one to the other does not take place.

For the communication to be successfully completed, therefore, it is necessary for the two parties to use the same words with the same meanings—in short, to come to terms.

You must spot the important words in a book and figure out how the author is using them.

RULE 5. FIND THE IMPORTANT WORDS AND THROUGH THEM COME TO TERMS WITH THE AUTHOR.

first rule for the second stage of analytical reading, the aim of which is not the outlining of a book’s structure but the interpretation of its contents or message.

We can expect a good writer to do his best to reach us through the barrier language inevitably sets up, but we cannot expect him to do the job all by himself. We must meet him halfway.

meeting of minds through language

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Finding the Key Words

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Only those words that he uses in a special way are important for him, and for us as readers.

You cannot locate the key words without making an effort to understand the passage in which they occur.

the most important words are those that give you trouble. It is likely that these words are important for the author as well.

Technical Words and Special Vocabularies

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one clue to an important word is that the author quarrels with other writers about it.

The relatively small set of words that express an author’s main ideas, his leading concepts, constitutes his special vocabulary.

All the things we have suggested to help you find the important words in a book will be of no avail unless you make a deliberate effort to note the words you must work on to find the terms they convey.

Most of us are addicted to non-active reading. The outstanding fault of the non-active or undemanding reader is his inattention to words, and his consequent failure to come to terms with the author.

Finding the Meanings

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Spotting the important words is only the beginning of the task.

you have to discover the meaning of a word you do not understand by using the meanings of all the other words in the context that you do understand.

The fact that a book can give you new insights or enlighten you indicates that it probably contains words you may not readily understand.

your comprehension of any book will be enormously increased if you only go to the trouble of finding its important words, identifying their shifting meanings, and coming to terms.

9 Determining an Author’s Message

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A proposition in a book is also a declaration. It is an expression of the author’s judgment about something.

We go from terms to propositions to arguments, by going from words (and phrases) to sentences to collections of sentences (or paragraphs).

Thus, the two processes, outlining and interpretation, meet at the level of propositions and arguments. You work down to propositions and arguments by dividing the book into its parts. You work up to arguments by seeing how they are composed of propositions and ultimately of terms.

Propositions are the answers to questions. They are declarations of knowledge or opinion.

RULE 5. FIND THE IMPORTANT WORDS AND COME TO TERMS.

RULE 6. MARK THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCES IN A BOOK AND DISCOVER THE PROPOSITIONS THEY CONTAIN.

RULE 7. LOCATE OR CONSTRUCT THE BASIC ARGUMENTS IN THE BOOK BY FINDING THEM IN THE...