How to Read Books. A Guide to Reading Great Works

This book, which has become a true classic, discusses how to turn reading into a dialogue with the author, learn to read between the lines, and find an approach even to the most complex texts—so that what is read provides invaluable experience and changes you for the better.
Mortimer Adler realized that he did not know how to read only after college. He did not know how to read truly: he consumed information, but without a deep understanding of the text, missing the meanings embedded by the author. A philosopher, teacher, and future chairman of the editorial board of the "Britannica" encyclopedia dedicated his life to grasping the true art of reading—and teaching it to others.
From the foreword by B. S. Esenkin, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation: "Learning to read is this ‘parallel perception of oneself’ and a comparative virtual reflection of what has been read, comparing what has been experienced or is being experienced with one’s own experience, as well as adjusting one’s worldview in this comparison. Therefore, while reading this guide, there arises a desire to penetrate more deeply into this work and grasp the ‘logistics’ of understanding significant books. This great creation of Mortimer Adler should become a bedside book for everyone that should not only be read but also applied in understanding the surrounding world, so that one can feel, think, and experience for oneself, in order to someday start living for oneself."