#ToProcess # [How to Read a Book: The Ultimate Guide by Mortimer Adler](http://fs.blog/how-to-read-a-book/) > Mortimer Adler literally wrote the book on reading. Adler identifies four levels of reading: > > Elementary Reading > Inspectional Reading > Analytical Reading > Syntopical Reading ​ > There are two sub-types of inspectional reading: > > Systematic skimming — This is meant to be a quick check of the book by (1) reading the preface; (2) studying the table of contents; (3) checking the index; and (4) reading the inside jacket. This should give you sufficient knowledge to understand the chapters in the book, pivotal to the author’s argument. Dip in here and there, but never with more than a paragraph or two. Skimming helps you reach to a decision point: Does this book deserve more of my time and attention? If not, you put it down. > Superficial reading — This is when you just read. Don’t ponder the argument, don’t look things up, don’t write in the margins. If you don’t understand something, move on. What you gain from this quick read will help you later when you go back and put more effort into reading. You now come to another decision point. Now that you have a better understanding of the book’s contents and its structure, do you want to understand it? > Inspectional reading gives you the gist of things ​ > Francis Bacon once remarked, “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Intéressant pour autorité > There are four rules to Analytical Reading > > Classify the book according to kind and subject matter. > State what the whole book is about with the utmost brevity. > Enumerate its major parts in their order and relation, and outline these parts as you have outlined the whole. > Define the problem or problems the author is trying to solve ​ > Syntopical Reading involves reading many books on the same subject and comparing and contrasting ideas, vocabulary, and arguments. ​