 If you've ever had to write a substantive paper, you've probably had to read a lot of books. Believe it or not, this can be done in ways that are probably much easier than you think. Well, inspectional reading is not all there is to getting through a big pile of books. But it's a start. But before we get into all that, let's first avoid a misunderstanding. Inspectional reading is a way of reading quickly. However, it's not speed reading. Well, inspectional reading is either skimming or it's superficial reading. But let's be clear, neither skimming nor superficial reading is speed reading. Boring and inefficient reading is reading from the first page to the last. Skimming is selective reading. Superficial reading is reading without stopping to determine what you already understand and what you don't. Speed reading is reading from the first page to the last very fast. Well, neither Adler nor I are saying that speed reading is a bad thing. Speed reading might actually be of some use in getting through a big pile of books. However, speed reading doesn't help you comprehend. Adler claims speed reading trains your eye to move quicker and to stop fewer times. Consequently, you're able to take in more words at a time. But it's important to remember that these skills in speed reading are not skills in comprehension. They're only skills in seeing more words. Merely because you're able to take in more words does not necessitate that you understand the words or the sentences or the paragraphs or the book as a whole. Well, speed reading, if you like, that's fine. But it won't help increase your comprehension. And you know, it might be worth to say that if you increase your skills and comprehension, you may not need to learn how to speed read. So as I said, sometimes they need to get through a big pile of books. And sometimes they need to figure out which ones are useful and which ones are not. Which ones you need to read thoroughly or just merely reference or just cite. Skimming will help get you through that big pile of books. Skimming is not speed reading. Skimming is selective reading. You select certain parts of the book trying to answer specific questions. By answering these questions first using skimming, you're able to comprehend more of the book faster. And you're able to prepare yourself to really dive into the book later on. And it's much faster than simple, boring, and inefficient reading. Skimming is also a way of preparing yourself before trying to read the book more thoroughly. Well, think of it this way. Suppose you're going for a hike through a forest. Now, you may be able to find your way through the forest by looking at the sun or landmarks. But if you had a map and a compass, you will find your way more quickly. Through inspection or reading, you construct that map. You construct that compass. You ask questions like, what is the book about? What is the subject of the book? Knowing what the book is about is the map. It gives you the area and location and the conceptual scheme of things. You ask questions like, what is the author trying to do? What has the author think the author has done? And how has the author think the author has accomplished this? Knowing where the author is going with the book is the compass. This will help you understand what the author is doing and what the author thinks he or she is doing. So, where do you look? The title. This gives you an idea of the subject or the map. The publisher's blurb. This can give you an idea of the author's intent. And even some idea about the author thinks the author is going to go about fulfilling that intent. That's the compass. The table of contents. This is more of the compass. Sometimes it even provides the trail. The table of contents can provide a more detailed description of the approach the author takes. The index. Think of this as landmarks. This might help fill out your map. However, these landmarks, these are the landmarks that the author thinks are important. They're important in chapters. And in some works, this is the beginning chapter and the end chapter. Sometimes authors will explicitly write day, here is what I'm going to do chapter for the introduction. The concluding chapter would then be, here is what I have done. This is more compass and more trail. Select paragraphs. This is more of an art, but you can often tell what a paragraph is about by the first sentence or two, especially with practice. By dipping in with a paragraph or two, you can tell a lot about the book. Sometimes books are difficult to understand. But not the entire book. Well, some parts you can understand. And those parts that you can understand can help you understand those parts that you do not understand. The point of superficial reading is to find those parts you already understand without letting the parts you do not understand stop you from reading the book. Adler has basically two rules for superficial reading. The first one he mentions explicitly. Read through the book the first time without stopping. If you find something you don't understand, don't stop. Just keep going. The second rule is more implicit. Read the book more than once. Any book worth reading, especially one which is going to help your mind grow, is something that you're going to read more than once. By reading through the first time and figuring out what you already understand, when you read it through a second time, or a third, or a fourth, that will help you get a better idea of what you don't understand. Moreover, it's probably a good idea to make a note of what you don't understand. Write down a question, a comment, the sentence, and the page number. Reference it for later on. This is your conceptual hit list. You figure out what you need to conquer, and that unconquerable book will be yours. Well, inspection reading gives us some of the mechanics of reading, but this is still not yet all there is to comprehension. The following videos in this series will introduce you to the questions that you need to ask while you are skimming and while you're doing superficial reading. This especially starts in part two of the book and the series, analytical reading. With practice, not inherent genius, not some obscure trick. With practice, these books, getting through these books, is demanding. Is a feat, is something to overcome, and completely within your grasp.