HOW TO READ A BOOK: The Art of Getting a Liberal Education

by Mortimer J. Adler ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 1940

Mortimer Adler is, both aslecturer and teacher, one of the outstanding pioneers in the field of liberal education, working hand in hand with Hutchins at Chicago. This book is intended to teach the average man to read for information, understanding and enlightenment. The method of handling the material seems to us to be above the level of the popular taste towards which, presumably, the appeal is directed. However, it should be required basic text for schools and colleges, for it is as stimulating as it is constructive. Adler is concerned in demonstrating how to read actively, not passively, so that through that act the reader acquires a certain intellectual and personal freedom. He attacks schools and colleges on their failure to demand intelligent reading. He outlines the primary rules, whether in expository works or in imaginative. He shows how to grasp not only the meaning of words, but the essential arguments and how to evaluate what is read. Definitely not in the accepted help yourself school, for the average self-improvement addicts might read it but couldn't apply it. However, it may get some of that sale. The list of supplementary reading should prove useful to teachers.

Pub Date: March 5, 1940

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1940

Categories: NONFICTION