How to read a book

Some of the book is simple enough to try, others want to swallow in one fell swoop, and there are those who have long to chew and digest.

Francis Bacon

Are you sure you really know how to read?

1. Open book.
2. Read the words.
3. Close the book.
4. Take the next book.

What could be simpler, is not it?

Indeed, if you read just for fun, just to kill time, all about what happens. But if you want to learn from this lesson, something useful, want to gain knowledge and new experience, it's not that simple. And that's why.

In 1940, Mortimer Adler wrote a work entitled "How to read a book. Guide to reading great works "Which is now considered a classic. Today we will try to briefly look at some of its provisions, expressed about 75 years ago, but do not lose their relevance for our time.

The study revealed that there are as many as four different ways of reading.

• Elementary. This is exactly what is meant by the word. This skill we have in elementary school, and it is only then that we can read the words on the page, and to understand their meaning, as well as to follow the main plot, but nothing more.
instagram viewer
• Inspection. This reading sliding look, what we call "across the sheet." We look to the top of page, then go to its end, simultaneously trying to catch the main key points and understand the flow of thought of the author. It often has to do when there is a need to learn more teaching or working materials under time pressure.
• Analytical. This is when you really dive into the text. You read slowly and carefully, you are taking notes, you're looking for words that do not understand, and follow the links that lead author. Your main task in this case - a complete understanding and assimilation of the ideas presented in the text.
• Research. Mainly used by writers, scientists and artists. At the same time you read multiple books on one subject for confirmation or refutation of his own theories on the matter. This is a rather peculiar way of reading, which is linked more to the work, and not as a hobby or pleasure.

Next, we take a closer look at the second and third reading as the most relevant and useful skills. Because elementary reading you probably already familiar, since you are reading these lines, and reading research is a rather specific kind of activity, which interest of the few. With analytical and inspection reading a completely different picture: it is necessary to many, but not all people possess it. So, what to do to raise your skill of reading with elementary to the next level?

inspection reading

As mentioned above, this type of reading is applicable to a variety of situations. For example, you need to shop quickly assess the appropriateness of the purchase of a book, quickly understand the essence of the bulk of the report, to keep abreast of the latest developments in the sphere of their interests, and so Further. In any case, you need not deep dive into the text, and the rapid capture and evaluation of the information you need. To do this you must do the following.

Read and learn the name of the front and back cover of the book

This advice may seem obvious, but many ignore them, immediately jump to the contents. And we all know that the author has always attached great importance to the title and the cover design, often putting them in the main sense (or hint at it) the whole book. If you can guess the message, many things will become clear before the first line of text.

Pay special attention to the first few pages

Table of contents, preface, prologue are incredibly useful page that will give you an idea of ​​the whole book, even if in front of you a multi-scientific work.

Look at the titles of the chapters and the concluding lines

This is particularly true of business, scientific and popular literature. You can skip to the end to find out the main conclusions, and only then, if they interest you, start to get acquainted with their evidence.

Study reviews

If you pick up a book on the Web, then you will not be difficult to get acquainted with the views of other readers. While these comments should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are sometimes dictated by self-interest to increase sales or, on the contrary, to "drown" the author. But you can still find the book sites that publish reviews of real people.

Thus, by following these simple items you can easily make a preliminary opinion about almost any book. This skill will help you to literally 5-10 minutes to choose the really good material and cut unnecessary ballast that will save you a whole years of his life.

analytical reading

Keep in mind that not every book deserves to be read in this way. This reading method should be used only when you really want to get the most out of reading. If you do not know how to apply the analytical method reading any book - even the most useful and necessary - not be able to give you all that it incorporated the author. Let's see, how to get the most out of what we read.

Learn a little more about the author and his other work

Simple inquiries about the identity of the author can do much to clarify the motives and characteristics of his work. Agree that the book is about how to achieve financial success will cause a much more credible if it was written by a practicing businessman, not a ruined loser. Or, for example, a novel about the war very differently will be read, if in the biography of the author have the appropriate scenes.

Spend a few minutes reading the inspection

Before diving into the depths of the text, highlight a bit of time for a brief pre-dating, as described in the previous section. Do not miss the opportunity to get information from the analysis of the names, contents, foreword, and so on.

Go back to the difficult moments

Read the entire book through, but be careful not to overly stretch the process. Adler calls it "a superficial reading," that is so, during which you get acquainted with the contents of the book, not too going into specific details. This means that if you encounter a difficult or obscure place, then do not try to immediately deal with it, but just to make notes and keep reading. When you finish a book, you must return to your bookmarks and have paid maximum attention to all controversial and obscure points. Attract additional sources reread some places again, but as a result you should not stay in the dark places of the studied material.

Prepare a short summary

After completing the book (and analytical reading is precisely the work), make a short report reflecting your basic experience and acquired knowledge. Best of all, if you will make it in the form of answers to these simple questions. Ideally, if you do this in writing.

1. What is this book? Sometimes we are so immersed in the plot twists or irrelevant details, that by the end of the story completely forgotten about the main idea of ​​the author. Just a few sentences set out in the basic meaning of the work.
2. What happened and why? Make a very brief outline of the book. For fiction this can be a chain of events of the main plot, for non-fiction - the main points and the evidence of the author of the concept.
3. It is described in the book of events, facts and opinions interesting, true, instructive? What is your attitude to read? Do you agree with the opinion of the author or think it a mistake?
4. What conclusions have you drawn from your reading for yourself? Books are a powerful tool to change yourself and your relationship to the world. If you approach to this issue to the maximum, it can be said that if the book you read is absolutely nothing you do not give, then you just wasted your time. So try to answer in this fix everything that is able to extract from this book for its development.

Yes, such a rigorous approach to reading is not conducive to the rapid absorption of the literature and can probably seem too tedious. But you can definitely be sure that each book in your life will leave its mark and you'll get the most out of each hour spent with a book in his hands.