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How to Read a Book Summary & Review: Get More From Every Hard Book
Adler and Van Doren’s four levels of reading — inspect first, X-ray one book, then compare many — so a hard book…
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Charles Van Doren
"Know a book before you dive"
Charles Van Doren (1926–2019) was a writer and Encyclopaedia Britannica editor who joined Mortimer Adler for the 1972 rewrite of How to Read a Book, the edition most readers hold today.
1 book featured·How to Read a Book (1972 revision)
Books by Charles Van Doren
Our in-depth summaries and reviews of his work
Key Ideas & Recurring Themes
Inspectional reading
A systematic first pass that maps a book’s kind and skeleton before you commit a week.
Book Author Charles Van Doren
How to Read a Book Summary & Review: Get More From Every Hard Book
Adler and Van Doren’s four levels of reading — inspect first, X-ray one book, then compare many — so a hard book actually changes what you can say.