Reviews
"This book is atour de forcein which Keith Stanovich reflects on his lifetime of pioneering research in the field of reading acquisition and disabilities. Presented are classic papers published over more than two decades, together with lucid discussions of Stanovich's current thinking on each topic. Readers gain the rare opportunity to observe how a scientist of this caliber develops his ideas and arguments over time, and why. Of particular relevance to readers interested in language and literacy disabilities are Stanovich's arguments for using theories of normal processing to constrain theories of reading disability; his case for seeing phonological problems as the source of most reading disabilities; and the evidence he presents on how the gap between poor and good readers widens with age."--Judith F. Duchan, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo "This superbly written work will serve as a monument to many of the late 20th century's remarkable scientific achievements in the field of reading acquisition and reading disabilities. It is also a moving personal testament to an exceptionally creative scientist, profound thinker, and humanist. The volume will be an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in education and psychology, as it reveals not only many of the psychological mysteries of reading, but also the inner workings of the practice of science." --David L. Share, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel "Keith Stanovich weaves many of his important papers into a splendid tapestry of programmatic research." --Philip B. Gough, PhD., Barbara Pierce Bush Regents Professor, University of Texas at Austin "Keith Stanovich takes us on a personal tour of nearly 25 years of research and controversy in reading. We get some of his best papers--papers very important to the field--reprinted in one volume. The new material that interleaves these papers gives rich inside views on the process of research and its historical and social contexts. The Best of Stanovich, as one would expect, is very good indeed." --Charles A. Perfetti, PhD., Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, "This book is a tour de force in which Keith Stanovich reflects on his lifetime of pioneering research in the field of reading acquisition and disabilities. Presented are classic papers published over more than two decades, together with lucid discussions of Stanovich's current thinking on each topic. Readers gain the rare opportunity to observe how a scientist of this caliber develops his ideas and arguments over time, and why. Of particular relevance to readers interested in language and literacy disabilities are Stanovich's arguments for using theories of normal processing to constrain theories of reading disability; his case for seeing phonological problems as the source of most reading disabilities; and the evidence he presents on how the gap between poor and good readers widens with age."--Judith F. Duchan, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo "This superbly written work will serve as a monument to many of the late 20th century's remarkable scientific achievements in the field of reading acquisition and reading disabilities. It is also a moving personal testament to an exceptionally creative scientist, profound thinker, and humanist. The volume will be an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in education and psychology, as it reveals not only many of the psychological mysteries of reading, but also the inner workings of the practice of science." --David L. Share, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel "Keith Stanovich weaves many of his important papers into a splendid tapestry of programmatic research." --Philip B. Gough, PhD, Barbara Pierce Bush Regents Professor, University of Texas at Austin "Keith Stanovich takes us on a personal tour of nearly 25 years of research and controversy in reading. We get some of his best papers--papers very important to the field--reprinted in one volume. The new material that interleaves these papers gives rich inside views on the process of research and its historical and social contexts. The 'Best of Stanovich,' as one would expect, is very good indeed." --Charles A. Perfetti, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, "This book is atour de forcein which Keith Stanovich reflects on his lifetime of pioneering research in the field of reading acquisition and disabilities. Presented are classic papers published over more than two decades, together with lucid discussions of Stanovich's current thinking on each topic. Readers gain the rare opportunity to observe how a scientist of this caliber develops his ideas and arguments over time, and why. Of particular relevance to readers interested in language and literacy disabilities are Stanovich's arguments for using theories of normal processing to constrain theories of reading disability; his case for seeing phonological problems as the source of most reading disabilities; and the evidence he presents on how the gap between poor and good readers widens with age."--Judith F. Duchan, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo "This superbly written work will serve as a monument to many of the late 20th century's remarkable scientific achievements in the field of reading acquisition and reading disabilities. It is also a moving personal testament to an exceptionally creative scientist, profound thinker, and humanist. The volume will be an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in education and psychology, as it reveals not only many of the psychological mysteries of reading, but also the inner workings of the practice of science." --David L. Share, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel "Keith Stanovich weaves many of his important papers into a splendid tapestry of programmatic research." --Philip B. Gough, PhD, Barbara Pierce Bush Regents Professor, University of Texas at Austin "Keith Stanovich takes us on a personal tour of nearly 25 years of research and controversy in reading. We get some of his best papers--papers very important to the field--reprinted in one volume. The new material that interleaves these papers gives rich inside views on the process of research and its historical and social contexts. The 'Best of Stanovich,' as one would expect, is very good indeed." --Charles A. Perfetti, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, "...this book is my bible....I have found that every time I re-read this book, I gain new insights and see relevance that I did not see in previous perusals. I pull it out every time I have a question, because answers are usually contained within its pages....To a researcher, this book is inspiring."--BalancedReading.com "Graduate students and researchers new to the field of literacy research will find this volume to be both a history lesson and a framework from which to think about current political issues in reading research and reading education. What might draw in both novice and seasoned researchers are the stories behind the studies: collaborations with like-minded colleagues, hypotheses that did not pan out, and reconsiderations of earlier beliefs....Progress in Understanding Readingwill likely become a staple in the collections of those interested in the psychological aspects of reading, regardless of their political persuasions when it comes to reading research and practice. This volume marks an important era in the history of research on literacy acquisition."--Teachers College Record "He clearly brings fresh approaches to the classically rooted research....the most important and valuable part of this volume is the new material that precedes each section and puts the reprinted articles into context. These introductory commentaries give a wonderfully helpful continuity to the disparate pieces; they also place them in a new context....this book is a state-of-the-art compilation of important areas of reading research over the past 20 years. It is must-have knowledge for all reading researchers."--American Journal of Psychology "Keith E. Stanovich is undoubtedly the most prolific and most cited reading researcher in the 20th century. His contributions to our understanding of reading, via his empirical research studies and his syntheses of research, are enormous; these contributions should be appreciated immensely by the reading research community....This book by Keith E. Stanovich containing theoretical ideas and empirical findings superbly illustrates how science is the best tool we have for understanding reading and eventually helping all students learn to read better. It also included much more richness in the form of theoretical insights and reviews of research than this short commentary could begin to capture adequately. Thanks a million for another big contribution, Keith."--Journal of Literacy Research "Stanovich provides a useful overview of his research....a useful resource for graduate students, researchers, faculty, and practitioners exploring the reading process from a behavioral psychology perspective." --Choice, "...this book is my bible....I have found that every time I re-read this book, I gain new insights and see relevance that I did not see in previous perusals. I pull it out every time I have a question, because answers are usually contained within its pages....To a researcher, this book is inspiring."--BalancedReading.com "Graduate students and researchers new to the field of literacy research will find this volume to be both a history lesson and a framework from which to think about current political issues in reading research and reading education. What might draw in both novice and seasoned researchers are the stories behind the studies: collaborations with like-minded colleagues, hypotheses that did not pan out, and reconsiderations of earlier beliefs....Progress in Understanding Reading will likely become a staple in the collections of those interested in the psychological aspects of reading, regardless of their political persuasions when it comes to reading research and practice. This volume marks an important era in the history of research on literacy acquisition."--Teachers College Record "He clearly brings fresh approaches to the classically rooted research....the most important and valuable part of this volume is the new material that precedes each section and puts the reprinted articles into context. These introductory commentaries give a wonderfully helpful continuity to the disparate pieces; they also place them in a new context....this book is a state-of-the-art compilation of important areas of reading research over the past 20 years. It is must-have knowledge for all reading researchers."--American Journal of Psychology "Keith E. Stanovich is undoubtedly the most prolific and most cited reading researcher in the 20th century. His contributions to our understanding of reading, via his empirical research studies and his syntheses of research, are enormous; these contributions should be appreciated immensely by the reading research community....This book by Keith E. Stanovich containing theoretical ideas and empirical findings superbly illustrates how science is the best tool we have for understanding reading and eventually helping all students learn to read better. It also included much more richness in the form of theoretical insights and reviews of research than this short commentary could begin to capture adequately. Thanks a million for another big contribution, Keith."--Journal of Literacy Research "Stanovich provides a useful overview of his research....a useful resource for graduate students, researchers, faculty, and practitioners exploring the reading process from a behavioral psychology perspective." --Choice, "This book is a tour de force in which Keith Stanovich reflects on his lifetime of pioneering research in the field of reading acquisition and disabilities. Presented are classic papers published over more than two decades, together with lucid discussions of Stanovich's current thinking on each topic. Readers gain the rare opportunity to observe how a scientist of this caliber develops his ideas and arguments over time, and why. Of particular relevance to readers interested in language and literacy disabilities are Stanovich's arguments for using theories of normal processing to constrain theories of reading disability; his case for seeing phonological problems as the source of most reading disabilities; and the evidence he presents on how the gap between poor and good readers widens with age."--Judith F. Duchan, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo "This superbly written work will serve as a monument to many of the late 20th century's remarkable scientific achievements in the field of reading acquisition and reading disabilities. It is also a moving personal testament to an exceptionally creative scientist, profound thinker, and humanist. The volume will be an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in education and psychology, as it reveals not only many of the psychological mysteries of reading, but also the inner workings of the practice of science." --David L. Share, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel "Keith Stanovich weaves many of his important papers into a splendid tapestry of programmatic research." --Philip B. Gough, PhD, Barbara Pierce Bush Regents Professor, University of Texas at Austin "Keith Stanovich takes us on a personal tour of nearly 25 years of research and controversy in reading. We get some of his best papers--papers very important to the field--reprinted in one volume. The new material that interleaves these papers gives rich inside views on the process of research and its historical and social contexts. The 'Best of Stanovich,' as one would expect, is very good indeed." --Charles A. Perfetti, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh
