Students must read. They must read to inform themselves about the subjects they are studying and to allow them to write assignments, reports and dissertations. Though most will be able to read fairly well, few will make as much or as efficient use as possible of the time they devote to reading for academic purposes.

Reading as a student demands new skills and new disciplines. That is why most reputable guides to study offer a pot pourri of techniques for improving reading skills. However, none gives as full a treatment of this essential and underpinning area of academic life as Reading at University.

Gavin and Susan Fairbairn believe that to have a significant influence on student readers, they must aim to persuade them to change both the ways in which they read and the ways in which they think about reading. This is what they have tried to do in Reading at University.