"Communication ... does not occur unless the reader's or listener's mind reaches out to catch what is in the mind of the writer or speaker." (Adler, How to Speak, How to Listen, 1983)

CLASSICS BY ADLER

The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto
This original manifesto expresses the views of Adler and a group of like-minded educators. It proposes a proper relationship between three types of teaching: didactic instruction, coaching of intellectual skills, and seminar discussion. The combination of these teaching methods results in enhanced literacy, problem solving, and thinking skills, and leads to a better quality of life for all.

Mortimer J. Adler
1902–2001
Chairman of the
Paideia Group,
Founder of the
National Paideia Center

The Paideia Program
The third of three books by Adler and the original Paideia Group, the express purpose of this book is to provide a “detailed description of a Paideia school in full operation—what is to be taught, how it is to be taught, and the various restructurings it entails or permits.” It includes a variety of essays by Paideia group members (including Jacques Barzun and Ted Sizer) on all aspects of curriculum and structure.

How to Read a Book (with Charles Van Doren)
How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become that rare phenomenon: a living classic. It is the best, most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. Revised and updated, it shows how the serious work of proper reading may be accomplished and how much it yields in the way of instruction and delight.

How to Speak, How to Listen
This volume is the companion to Adler and Van Doren’s classic How to Read a Book and deserves an adjacent spot on your bookshelf. It addresses the vital ability to speak and listen as a coherent and teachable set of life skills.