With half a million copies in print How to Read a Book is the best & most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader completely rewritten & updated with new material Originally published in 1940 this book is a rare phenomenon a living classic that introduces & elucidates the various levels of reading & how to achieve them-from elementary reading through systematic skimming & inspectional reading to speed reading Readers will learn when & how to judge a book by its cover & also how to X-ray it read critically & extract the author's message from the text Also included is instruction in the different techniques that work best for reading particular genres such as practical books imaginative literature plays poetry history science & mathematics philosophy & social science works Finally the authors offer a recommended reading list & supply reading tests you can use measure your own progress in reading skills comprehension & speed