What Are The Best Speed Reading Books?

A list of 10 speed reading books to become an efficient learner.

Learning to read fast is no small feat—it demands time, patience, and consistent practice. More importantly, adopting effective reading techniques is crucial for boosting focus, motivation, and confidence in your reading abilities.

There are several paths to reach your speed reading goals, whether through software, courses, or workshops. However, one method that is often overlooked is learning through books specifically designed to enhance your reading skills.

This list showcases some of the best speed reading books packed with strategies to help you read faster and more efficiently.

Best Speed Reading Books 2025

How to be a Super Reader	Breakthrough Rapid Reading	Idiot's Guide to Speed Reading	The Speed Reading Book
Ron Cole	Peter Kump	A. Marks Beale	Tony Buzan
★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
View on Amazon	View on Amazon	View on Amazon	View on Amazon

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1. How to Be a Super Reader by Ron Cole

Super Reader (view on Amazon) summarizes Ron Cole’s 14 years of experience teaching reading. Cole realized that many learners felt like they were losing time each week and could also not figure out where this time was going.

Understanding that a lot of this time was dedicated to reading, Cole put together a plan to help learners read faster and still retain what they have read.

‘How to Be a Super Reader‘ is a versatile speed reading book that caters to readers of all levels. Whether you’re learning English as a second language, already an advanced reader, or simply find reading challenging, the strategies in this book can offer valuable insights to enhance your reading skills.

Before diving into this book, you’ll be encouraged to make some preparations, such as assessing your own learning style to navigate the material more effectively.

This book is practical and action-focused, so be prepared for drills and exercises. The main takeaway is learning to read in chunks, which can significantly boost your reading speed. With these strategies, you could potentially save up to 10 hours of reading time per week!

With the book also comes access to some of the best offline methods and resources, whereas some of the material can be customized to your needs and preferences.
Review Rating: ★★★★☆

2. Breakthrough Rapid Reading by Peter Kump

Breakthrough Rapid Reading (view on Amazon) is written by past National Director of Education for Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics, Peter Kump. This information alone is enough credibility to at least give this book a try.

The book includes rapid reading techniques that have been around for over forty years. Chapter by chapter, Kump explains that by reading this book and practicing his techniques after each section, you will be able to read up to eight times faster than before.

A pro of this book is the emphasis on practice. Any skill will only get better with practice, and accelerated reading is no exception. The designated sections for specific skills and practice allow for catered practice before moving on to the next skill.

The reviews speak for themselves! Many readers share how their reading speeds have significantly improved by practicing the techniques outlined in this book.
Review Rating: ★★★★☆

3. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading

This book (view on Amazon) is written by recognized reading performance expert Abby Marks Beale, who is also the founder of The Corporate Educator. She is known for her content-rich training courses that are mainly based on adult learning principles and accelerated learning.

The guide offers proven step-by-step instructions and user-friendly methodologies. You will systematically learn to take complete control of your reading pace by practicing the various timed reading exercises, using personal progress charts, and calculating your overall reading speed. Readers will also know when and how to apply a rather slow reading approach for a certain material.

The strategies are simple and easy to apply. As an outcome, they will enable you to fully comprehend and speed read articles, books, and professional journals. The book contains loads of other best practices that every reader needs to know.

Recognized as one of the top speed reading books of 2025, this guide offers expert tips perfect for doctors, lawyers, students, teachers, and busy professionals.
Rating: ★★★★☆


4. The Speed Reading Book by Tony Buzan

Working on improving all areas of reading including speed, comprehension, and quality is a major focus of this book (view on Amazon).

Buzan, the creator of the note-taking technique Mind Maps, also has a background of work with an emphasis on the brain and learning. This book is part of the “Mind Set” series and provides present-day information about the brain and learning.

Unlike many other books on the topic, The Speed Reading Book delves into the history of speed reading and its connection to brain function and learning. It then outlines the goals readers can achieve by following its techniques.

For instance, by applying these techniques, you can think faster and more creatively, take better notes, excel at test-taking, save valuable time, and study more efficiently. Coupling this background knowledge with practical exercises equips you to meet any reading goal you set.
Rating: ★★★☆☆

5. Guide To Speed Reading, Nathan Armstrong

The Guide To Speed Reading (view on Amazon) is written by Nathan Armstrong, an avid reader and enthusiastic writer. Based on a lifetime of personal reading experience, the author helps readers increase their speed through accelerated learning techniques and well-designed strategies.

Each chapter describes techniques and tricks to enhance the reading pace. It will explain the difference between ‘words per minute’ and ‘effective words per minute’. Learn to read books using skimming and scanning, thus absorbing only the important content without reading through the entire book.

Readers also gain an insight into the history of fast reading and how the mind works when actually doing so. Other chapters include exercises and solutions to fix current reading issues or help increase eye expansion.

This book is an interesting additional read for students and professionals alike and for all those who wish to simply read more and enhance their reading and learning speed.
Rating: ★★★★☆

6. 10 Days To Faster Reading – Princeton Language Institute

Another book (view on Amazon) by Abby Marks Beale is written in collaboration with The Princeton Language Institute. The institute knows how slow reading can negatively affect adult education but also people’s long-term career ambitions.

They teamed up with Abby to develop a very time-efficient solution. At the core, this book promises to accelerate your reading skills in 10 days.

It contains several quizzes to help predetermine your present reading skill level. The book also shows how to overcome the bad habits of slow reading, will enhance your concentration level, considerably cut your reading time, and boost the power of your peripheral vision.

It further outlines the principles on how to scan and skim content and remember information permanently. It also includes several specially designed techniques proven to escalate the reading pace.

Students, busy people and reading enthusiasts can all boost their speed within 10 days. If you plan to enroll in Abby’s online course then you will get this book for free. Visit her website for more details.
Rating: ★★★★☆

7. Super Reading Secrets by Howard Stephen Berg

Written by the Guinness World Record holder for the world’s fastest reader, this book (view on Amazon) contains his methods for how he achieved his goal.

Through reading this book, you can see how he was able to read 80 pages per minute and apply some of his tips and strategies to your own reading. While this book was first published over twenty years ago, a lot of the methods still apply today.

After learning more about a reading skill or technique, there are exercises at hand for you to practice. The scenario’s content is relatable and easy to follow along, no matter your reading level. The practice exercises range from everyday life topics, such as balancing a checkbook. to common reading topics, such as reading any non-fiction text.

Overall, Super Reading Secrets is easy to follow and will help you achieve your goal of reading more efficiently.
Rating: ★★★☆☆


8. Triple Your Reading Speed by Wade E. Cutler

Triple Your Reading Speed (view on Amazon) promises to do just as the title says. Through skill development and practicing the examples Cutler provides for his readers, Cutler states that your reading rate will increase.

This book’s format focuses on self-studying and working on your reading skills at your own pace, focusing on the Accelerated Method. This method was taught in the sixties and seventies to over 10,000 learners of all ages.

This book discusses that many factors go into reading skill development. There is a large focus on practicing reading, just like you would practice any other skill. Just as with any skill you may want to develop, many reviewers of this book explained the more they practiced the skills they read about, the more they noticed a significant difference.

This book has been around for quite a few years and the more effort you put into practice the skills, the more you will obtain from this book.
Rating: ★★★★☆


9. Photoreading by Paul R. Scheele

Just by thinking about the title of this book (view on Amazon), PhotoReading sounds like something that cannot easily be accomplished. This book explains that over time and practice, you will be able to photoread at a pace greater than one page per second.

In addition to increasing your speed, it also claims that this will be done without losing reading comprehension along the way. Sound too good to be true? You will just have to give it a try for yourself and see how your reading rate changes.

Scheele, a notable figure in human development, delves into the concept of photoreading or mental photographing. This technique aims to process information subconsciously, linking it to existing knowledge in your brain.

The result? Purposeful comprehension that empowers you to meet your reading goals. Notably, the book’s tactics have sparked debate, making it one of the more controversial titles in the speed reading realm.
Rating: ★★★☆☆


10. Seven-Day Speed Reading and Learning Program by Evelyn Wood

From all the books discussed in this list, The Evelyn Wood learning program (view on Amazon) has been around for the longest amount of time. Since 1959, The Evelyn Wood Program of Dynamic Learning has been applied by hundreds of thousands of people across the nation.

The Evelyn Wood method describes how to boost your speed, retain important information you have read, and fully comprehend what you are reading – all at the same time. One pro is the compactness of information within the book.

This program is focused on a seven-day approach. It is written to cover all strategies, information and to see changes quickly. Based on its popularity and longevity, growth will be seen within seven days, which is faster than other speed reading books. It also mentions how these strategies can be implemented to assist in writing.
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Speed Reading Books – Summary & Verdict


Overall, each of these books has something to offer when you look to boost reading speed and retention. No matter which book you choose to help you achieve this goal, you are already on your way to becoming a better reader.

Recommendation – Any one of these 10 speed reading books, with “The Complete Idiot’s Guide”, “Breakthrough Reading” and “How to be a Super Reader” being my favorites, will help you increase your reading rate and comprehension in some way.

Tip – I suggest reading the summaries of these books and then deciding which one would fit you best as a reader. If you start practicing the taught techniques and strategies consistently, you can be sure to achieve your personal reading goals quickly!

Benefits – One of the biggest benefits of books is their accessibility. Most of the suggested titles you should get in your local library, and for free. Hence, it’s a very affordable way to educate yourself.

If books aren’t your first choice of learning we recommend reading our review of online speed reading courses to explore how these approaches can help you become a more effective reader.

 What are the best speed reading books in your opinion?

Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain Pixabay, Unsplash

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon or other partners. Speed Reading Lounge may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. It does not add any extra costs. All reviews, opinions, descriptions, and comparisons expressed here are our own.