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A Typology of Book-Reading – Part I: Modes of Concentration

In the first part of this article series, I identify fourteen different types of book, which I classify by their required mode of concentration; whilst also providing examples and photographic samples to support the description of each type.

Bookshelf — So many types of book—but what are the **types of reading**?

Introduction

Over the course of the years during which I have been reading books regularly, a particular categorization of book-types naturally formed in my mind. Specifically, it is based on the distinct kinds of concentration I found to be demanded by different books. These different kinds of concentration can be thought of as different modes of reading; and the classification of them in this sense may be useful for a regular reader of books to consider and refer to, towards a more conscious and informed practise of book-reading.

The fourteen book-types I have identified, termed, and will classify here are the Technical, Referential, Deep, Philosophical, Harrowing, Dissonant, Illustrated, Voluminous, Benign, Conversational, Narrational, Allegorical, Anthological, Pictorial.