on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candlel

Most readers are familiar with Evelyn Wood, whose influence helped tens of thousands of people learn to read faster with related increases in comprehension and retention. One of her best early examples was Dr. Lowell Lees at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Tests indicated that Dr. Lees could read more than 6,000 words per minutes with good comprehension. Mrs. Wood later discovered (and studied) more than 100 individuals who were able to read more than 1,500 words per minutes.

However, there have always been speed readers — before and after Evelyn Wood.

George Washington, for example, wanted to read anything and everything. He especially liked English books on agriculture (he considered himself a “country gentleman farmer”). He even read books while riding horseback. His reading speed was not particularly fast, but he was consistent and persistent, generally pacing himself through his books without re-reading passages (“regressing”).

Thomas Jefferson was very disciplined in his reading, covering many topics with purpose and forcing himself to complete his planned reading schedule. These were the keys to his unusual power of concentration: no distractions, no time-consuming actions through inattention. He strongly believed in reading with purpose, whether for knowledge or leisure, and made lists of books to be read on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candleli

s with good comprehension. Mrs. Wood later discovered (and studied) more than 100 individuals who were able to read more than 1,500 words per minutes.

However, there have always been speed readers — before and after Evelyn Wood.

George Washington, for example, wanted to read anything and everything. He especially liked English books on agriculture (he considered himself a “country gentleman farmer”). He even read books while riding horseback. His reading speed was not particularly fast, but he was consistent and persistent, generally pacing himself through his books without re-reading passages (“regressing”).

Thomas Jefferson was very disciplined in his reading, covering many topics with purpose and forcing himself to complete his planned reading schedule. These were the keys to his unusual power of concentration: no distractions, no time-consuming actions through inattention. He strongly believed in reading with purpose, whether for knowledge or leisure, and made lists of books to be read on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candlel

books on agriculture (he considered himself a “country gentleman farmer”). He even read books while riding horseback. His reading speed was not particularly fast, but he was consistent and persistent, generally pacing himself through his books without re-reading passages (“regressing”).

Thomas Jefferson was very disciplined in his reading, covering many topics with purpose and forcing himself to complete his planned reading schedule. These were the keys to his unusual power of concentration: no distractions, no time-consuming actions through inattention. He strongly believed in reading with purpose, whether for knowledge or leisure, and made lists of books to be read on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candlel

eading, covering many topics with purpose and forcing himself to complete his planned reading schedule. These were the keys to his unusual power of concentration: no distractions, no time-consuming actions through inattention. He strongly believed in reading with purpose, whether for knowledge or leisure, and made lists of books to be read on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candlel

on schedule. In addition, Jefferson also used a clock to guide and control his reading time. One account said his speed, although relatively fast, was “always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock.”

Abraham Lincoln was known to beg or borrow books to read. He is often remembered for educating himself by candlelight at an early age. In any event, he was always reading. Later, he applied his self-taught reading habits as a lawyer, legislator and President. Although he was constantly reading, his speed was probably “average,” and he often read aloud because he liked to hear the words.

Theodore Roosevelt was known as a very rapid reader and a tireless reviewer of books. Even by today’s standards, his reading speed would seem incredible. One of his reading qualities, besides speed, was knowing when to skim and scan, while still absorbing the thrust of his reading material. In a letter to his son Kermit about the best way to read Dickens, Roosevelt said: “The wise thing to do is simply to skip the bosh and twaddle and vulgarity and untruth, and get the benefit out of the rest.” Roosevelt was also fond of reading favorite books more than once. He even left a list of novels that he had read “over and over again.” While in the White House, President Theodore Roosevelt was said to read a book every day before breakfast, and occasionally reading three books in a day.

Franklin D. Roosevelt would certainly be included among the leaders in speed reading. Like most people, he began reading two or three words at a time, then stretched that to three or four words, then six to eight words. Eventually, he was able to read (and absorb) an entire paragraph