How to Read Inspectionally.

Side A.

It takes an average of 8 hours, to read a book.

Not all books are worth your attention. And by the time you’ve finished the book, you might remember 5% of it.

Inspectional reading takes between 30 minutes to an hour and is a way to

1. Determine if a book is worth your time reading

2. Getting a general sense of the book, perhaps the most important 20%

3. Improve your retention if you do decide to read the book because you’re already primed to read it.

Another term for Inspectional Reading is; Pre-Reading.

At the end of an Inspectional reading you should be able to state what the book about and what the main points the author is trying to make.

The idea of Inspectional reading is from The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Adler

Side B

Here’s how you do it:

1. Read the cover

2. Read the publishers blurbs

3. Read the table of contents

4. Read the Index

5. Read bits and pieces ( I like to read the opening and closing paragraphs of chapters)

6. Study diagrams and illustrations

7. Read the ending for a summary

8. Listen to an Author interview about the book