{"id":5478,"date":"2021-07-15T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T03:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/?p=5478"},"modified":"2021-07-14T21:42:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T16:12:34","slug":"how-to-read-book-mortimer-adler-charles-van-doren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/15\/how-to-read-book-mortimer-adler-charles-van-doren\/","title":{"rendered":"Reader Alert! Lessons From How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This is a book that Pothidotcomers are familiar with. It\u2019s come up over coffee and at the Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) Parties. There are how-to books about everything under the sun but how do you read a book? Do you really need a manual for that? An avid reader would not agree but once you read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.in\/How-read-book-Mortimer-Adler-ebook\/dp\/B094Q8816H\/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=How+to+Read+a+Book+by+Adler+and+Van+Doren&amp;qid=1626268528&amp;sr=8-2\"><em><strong>How to Read a Book<\/strong><\/em> by Adler and Van Doren<\/a>, you will change your mind.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Kinds of Reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are four kinds of reading:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Elementary- The basics.<\/li>\n<li>Inspectional- The book browsing\/skimming kind<\/li>\n<li>Analytical- Going into details<\/li>\n<li>Syntopical- Reading books related to the book you are reading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Reading Rules:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Classify the book according to its subject matter.<\/li>\n<li>State what the whole book is about with utmost brevity.<\/li>\n<li>Enumerate its major parts in their order and relation.<\/li>\n<li>Define the problems the author is trying to solve and see whether he has solved them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So a reader has to sweat over the sentence like the poor writer has or to put it in a more positive light- a reader needs to be more <strong>demanding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Read Books of Different Genres<\/h2>\n<p>There is a way to read every sort of book from mathematics to philosophy. For instance, reading imaginative literature and reading a mathematics treatise is very different indeed. You can afford to be less analytical while reading <em><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/War_and_Peace\">War and Peace<\/a><\/em>\u00a0than when you attempt\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Euclid\">Euclid<\/a>\u2019s Book I of\u00a0<em>Elements<\/em>. Similarly, a poem is not unreadable if you follow these steps- read it through in one sitting, preferably read it aloud, find the unity in the poem and discover the conflict of images. A poem requires work, but like all other kinds of literature, you must try to glean something from it.<\/p>\n<p>This section of the book is sure to change the way you approach different kinds of books.<\/p>\n<h2>Bonus Points<\/h2>\n<p>There is a list of recommended books at the end of <em>How to Read a Book<\/em>\u2013 a comprehensive guide of what to read in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Western_literature\">Western Literature<\/a> and <em>Exercises and Tests at the four levels<\/em> of reading in the book.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a book that Pothidotcomers are familiar with. It\u2019s come up over coffee and at the Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) Parties. There are how-to books about everything under the sun but how do you read a book? Do you really need a manual for that? An avid reader would not agree but once &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/15\/how-to-read-book-mortimer-adler-charles-van-doren\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Reader Alert! Lessons From How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[220],"tags":[482,484,483,485,486],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/facebook-how-to-read.png?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7vAZr-1qm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4523,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/14\/interview-anvita-and-anika-agarwal\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":0},"title":"Interview: Anvita and Anika Agarwal","date":"March 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, we feature two young authors. Anvita and Anika are sisters, currently studying for their 8th and 6th-grade exams, respectively. They are two-and-a-half years apart and separated in temperament by several yugas. They were twelve and ten, respectively, when they started reading the abridged translations of the Puranas in 2017.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews &amp; Stories&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4387,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/05\/interview-richa-jha\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":1},"title":"Interview: Richa Jha","date":"January 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We got to talk to picture book publisher Richa Jha! Richa Jha is an Indian children\u2019s author and picture book\u00a0enthusiast. Her books have been shortlisted for prestigious national literary and industry\u00a0awards,\u00a0won a popular\u00a0award,\u00a0and entered the Limca Book of Records. She hosts the country\u2019s first online critique\u00a0platform and runs the only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews &amp; Stories&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Machher-Jhol-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5666,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/08\/discover-fabulous-books-and-read-for-children-on-international-literacy-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":2},"title":"Discover Fabulous Books and Read for Children on International Literacy Day","date":"September 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"International Literacy Day, first observed in 1966 and now included in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals program, was established in order to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights. Every year on September 8th, UNESCO observes International Literacy Day. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Reading&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4309,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/24\/textbooks-middlemen-and-bond-lit-browser\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":3},"title":"Textbooks, Middlemen and Bond @ Lit Browser","date":"May 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"At Lit Browser, we talk about news that has to do with books, publishing, reading and writing in the subcontinent. Today I came across an essay by Iain Marlow called\u00a0India's Book-Buying Habits Say A Lot About The Country's Economy. Apparently, books have never sold better in India and desi writers\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"Image result for ruskin bond","src":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/7\/76\/Ruskin_Bond_in_Bangalore%2C_India_%28Jim_Ankan_Deka_photography%29.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4380,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/26\/interview-abhik-dutta\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":4},"title":"Interview: Abhik Dutta","date":"December 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We spoke to Abhik Dutta, author of several books in Bengali including Kichukhkhon, Nosto Somoyer Golpo, Chandalika Ebong Onyanyo Golpo, etc.\u00a0 Born in\u00a0a Bengali middle-class family, Abhik\u00a0has been reading books\u00a0since his childhood.\u00a0He is a busy Chemical\u00a0Engineer but after coming back from his office, he loves to read various kinds of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews &amp; Stories&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Abhik-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4572,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/10\/interview-suresh-ramaswamy\/","url_meta":{"origin":5478,"position":5},"title":"Interview: Suresh Ramaswamy","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"We got the opportunity to speak with Suresh Ramaswamy, author of Just Be: Transform Your Life and Live as Infinity. Suresh Ramaswamy is a transformational teacher and visionary entrepreneur passionate about igniting and catalyzing the transformation of humanity. With his background as an electrical engineer and technology executive, he brings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews &amp; Stories&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/IMG_7732resized-e1557727935566-240x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5480,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5478\/revisions\/5480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}