Mortimer Adler’s essay, “How to Mark a Book”, (1940) defines a clear and logical way of marking up a book that will help a person not only have a book to read but have a book they respect and understand inside-out. Adler’s essay is merely made up of self-examined ideas and the thought process of humans while reading. The sole purpose of this essay was to not only inform his audiences but to also teach them in order to later have a new found respect for whatever they may read in the future. The intended audiences of the essay are people who are in a more mature stage of studies.
I automatically connected with Alder’s idea because I’m one of the many college students who try to find a variety of ways to better understand any material I may be studying. The way he explained the art of marking a book helped me see the passion and pure knowledge of how much help this could provide a person. I was personally drawn towards this because it gave me a general idea on how to study to where I will not only just read over the context but I will have a full knowledge of whatever I’m studying. Although people may use different study methods, I do believe that they all fall back to Adler’s idea of marking the book and seeing its true soul.
They way Mortimer Adler brought this essay together was ingenious. Every explanation not only helps one understand it but it will stick with them after reading. Like most people, I’m one who reads and, in the end, has to go back and read again to gain any kind of knowledge. Adler states in paragraph four, “I am arguing that book, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good.” What Adler clearly means is, until one takes the literature and really makes it a part of themselves, they will never fully acknowledge the true meaning behind it.
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