How do you read textbook-type books?

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I've been digging into the Making of... books lately (right now, it's the Indiana Jones one) and I realized I do some skipping as I read. It made me ask, how do you read such books?

When it says " (see page 34) " as a side note, do you go right there, even if it's in the middle of a paragraph or column? Do you check out the pictures first? Ignore the captions? Read sidebars first, last, or not at all? Do any indexing first to look for key terms? Read out of chronological order?

My own answers are, I read the prologue/preface/introduction first, start on the first page and read from there. These resource books have me finish paragraphs or at column breaks, then check out the captions under all the photos on the facing pages. When I get to sidebars (those columns on the edges or sometimes even an entire two-page spread) I wait until I've finished the text before it, then go back to them. I usually save the index for the very end, but occasionally I look up certain names.

Am I just revealing my teacher roots here? Or my anal retentive nature? :o

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Maybe this was the wrong question to ask during summer break or summer school time. Or, does the lack of responses mean no one reads textbooks? :rolleyes: :CliffsNotes:

[Darth Jax]

i read with my eyes

[Bel-Cam Jos]

i read with my eyesKrusty the Clown: "I deserved that..." :setup:

[Darth Jax]

you seemed so despondent that no one was joining in for your conversation. didn't want you to be the only one posting in the thread so went with the smarta$$ comment.

[JediTricks]

I actually wrote up a whole paragraph about it, then realized none of it was totally accurate. It's all about how the mood finds me.

[InsaneJediGirl]

Depends really what the book is. Like my "Art of Superman' I've skipped around quite a bit to see my favorite scenes or designs in various stages. For my SW Comic Companion, I've kind of read that from cover to cover without skipping too much.

As for real textbooks, for school, I read what the syllabus tells me to read, then supplement with the appendix or power point handouts if available :)

[Bel-Cam Jos]

you seemed so despondent that no one was joining in for your conversation. didn't want you to be the only one posting in the thread so went with the smarta$$ comment.Thanks! I'll take a pity post anyday! :thumbsup:

But, your comment leads me to think that we need a "despondent" emoticon... crying or sad are insufficient to display my emotions cyberly. :despondent: