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How to Read a Book
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

2014

Framework

by

Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren

A framework book for gaining a deeper understanding from what you read. It provides a step-by-step approach that helps readers learn from books and develop original insights. A key concept is the four levels of reading: Elementary Reading (basic literacy), Inspectional Reading (skimming to grasp key ideas), Analytical Reading (methodically questioning a book’s arguments), and Syntopical Reading (reading multiple books on a topic and comparing them to develop your own insight).

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Jermaine's Notes
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May 2023

The concept of syntopical reading stuck with me—reading across multiple books to answer a question, not just absorb one author’s view. Asking “What’s the main argument or tree trunk of this book?” changed how I read. Originally published in 1940. I read the 2014 paperback reprint.

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The Lifetime Learner's Guide to Reading and Learning
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June 2025

A practical framework from serial entrepreneur Gary Hoover on how to be a lifelong learner by reading. Hoover—who has studied business since his childhood, founded and sold multiple companies, and once owned a 70,000-book collection—shares insights from reading over 35,000 business books. In this guide, he lists his top 160 books and offers actionable strategies on how to choose what to read, how to read efficiently and deeply, and how to retain and connect ideas over time
Complements "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler. Offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs and investors who read to solve problems and generate ideas. Hoover’s thinking echoes Charlie Munger’s multidisciplinary approach to learning. His 70,000-book personal library and his founding of the American Business History Center signal deep credibility—I ended up buying several books from his top 160 list. Read 2017 paperback.
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