THE DIMENSIONS OF READING
1. The Activity and Art of Reading
- Active Reading
- The Goals of Reading: Reading for Information and Reading for Understanding
- Reading as Learning: The Difference Between Learning by Instruction and Learning by Discovery
- Present and Absent Teachers
2. The Levels of Reading
3. The First Level of Reading: Elementary Reading
- Stages of Learning to Read
- Stages and Levels
- Higher Levels of Reading and Higher Education
- Reading and the Democratic Ideal of Education
4. The Second Level of Reading: Inspectional Reading
- Inspectional Reading I Systematic Skimming or Pre-reading
- Inspectional Reading II: Superficial Reading
- On Reading Speeds
- Fixations and Regressions
- The Problem of Comprehension
- Summary of Inspectional Reading
5. How to Be a Demanding Reader
- The Essence of Active Reading: The Four Basic Questions a Reader Asks
- How to Make a Book Your Own
- The Three Kinds of Note-making
- Forming the Habit of Reading
- From Many Rules to One Habit
THE THIRD LEVEL OF READING: ANALYTICAL READING
6. Pigeonholing a Book
- The Importance of Classifying Books
- What You Can Learn from the Title of a Book
- Practical vs. Theoretical Books
- Kinds of Theoretical Books
7. X-raying a Book
- Of Plots and Plans: Stating the Unity of a Book
- Mastering the Multiplicity: The Art of Outlining a Book
- The Reciprocal Arts of Reading and Writing
- Discovering the Author's Intentions
- The First Stage of Analytical Reading
8. Coming to Terms with an Author
- Words vs. Terms
- Finding the Key Words
- Technical Words and Special Vocabularies
- Finding the Meanings
9. Determining an Author's Message
- Sentences vs. Propositions
- Finding the Key Sentences
- Finding the Propositions
- Finding the Arguments
- Finding the Solutions
- The Second Stage of Analytical Reading
10. Criticizing a Book Fairly
- Teachability as a Virtue
- The Role of Rhetoric
- The Importance of Suspending Judgment
- The Importance of Avoiding Contentiousness
- On the Resolution of Disagreements
11. Agreeing or Disagreeing with an Author
- Prejudice and Judgment
- Judging the Author's Soundness
- Judging the Author's Completeness
- The Third Stage of Analytical Reading
12. Aids to Reading
- The Role of Relevant Experience
- Other Books as Extrinsic Aids to Reading
- How to Use Commentaries and Abstracts
- How to Use Reference Books
- How to Use a Dictionary
- How to Use an Encyclopedia
APPROACHES TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF READING MATTER
13. How to Read Practical Books
- The Two Kinds of Practical Books
- The Role of Persuasion
- What Does Agreement Entail in the Case of a Practical Book?
14. How to Read Imaginative Literature
- How Not to Read Imaginative Literature
- General Rules for Reading Imaginative Literature
15. Suggestions for Reading Stories, Plays, and Poems
- How to Read Stories
- A Note About Epics
- How to Read Plays
- A Note About Tragedy
- How to Read Lyric Poetry
- 16. How to Read History
- The Elusiveness of Historical Facts
- Theories of History
- The Universal in History
- Questions to Ask of a Historical Book
- How to Read Biography and Autobiography
- How to Read About Current Events
- A Note on Digests
17. How to Read Science and Mathematics
- Understanding the Scientific Enterprise
- Suggestions for Reading Classical Scientific Books
- Facing the Problem of Mathematics
- Handling the Mathematics in Scientific Books
- A Note on Popular Science
18. How to Read Philosophy
- The Questions Philosophers Ask
- Modern Philosophy and the Great Tradition
- On Philosophical Method
- On Philosophical Styles
- Hints for Reading Philosophy
- On Making Up Your Own Mind
- A Note on Theology
- How to Read "Canonical" Books
19. How to Read Social Science
- What Is Social Science?
- The Apparent Ease of Reading Social Science
- Difficulties of Reading Social Science
- Reading Social Science Literature
THE ULTIMATE GOALS OF READING
20. The Fourth Level of Reading: Syntopical Reading
- The Role of Inspection in Syntopical Reading
- The Five Steps in Syntopical Reading
- The Need for Objectivity
- An Example of an Exercise in Syntopical Reading: The Idea of Progress
- The Syntopicon and How to Use It
- On the Principles That Underlie Syntopical Reading
- Summary of Syntopical Reading
21. Reading and the Growth of the Mind
- What Good Books Can Do for Us
- The Pyramid of Books
- The Life and Growth of the Mind
Appendix A. A Recommended Reading List
Appendix B. Exercises and Tests at the Four Levels of Reading
Dr. Mortimer J. Adler was Chairman of the Board of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Director of the Institute for Philosophical Research, Honorary Trustee of the Aspen Institute, and authored more than fifty books. He died in 2001.
Dr. Charles Van Doren earned advanced degrees in both literature and mathematics from Columbia University, where he later taught English and was the Assistant Director of the Institute for Philosophical Research. He also worked for Encyclopedia Britannica in Chicago.