Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Study Is Hard Work: The Most Accessible and Lucid Text Available on Acquiring and Keeping Study Skills Through a Lifetime 2nd Edition

by
William Howard Armstrong (Author)
› Visit Amazon's William Howard Armstrong Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
William Howard Armstrong (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 25 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-1567920253
ISBN-10: 156792025X
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$4.36 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$10.01 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
More Buying Choices
54 New from $3.98 101 Used from $0.01 2 Collectible from $9.85
157 used & new from $0.01
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Prime Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

Free Kaplan PSAT/NMSQT 2017 eTextbook with 2 Practice Tests
Prep smarter, not harder with the Kaplan "PSAT/NMSQT 2017 Strategies, Practice & Review" eTextbook. Sponsored by Kaplan. Download Now
$10.01 FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books. In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
click to open popover

Frequently Bought Together

  • Study Is Hard Work: The Most Accessible and Lucid Text Available on Acquiring and Keeping Study Skills Through a Lifetime
  • +
  • The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
Total price: $20.00
Buy the selected items together

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
New York Times best sellers
Browse the New York Times best sellers in popular categories like Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Books and more. See more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: David R Godine; 2 edition (July 16, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 156792025X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1567920253
  • Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA great book from a great teacher
By W. Pickard on May 28, 1998
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I was sent away to Kent School in Connecticut in the 8th grade in 1962 because I was getting into too much trouble at home. I was a smart but poorly schooled student dumped "cold turkey" into a very challenging academic environment.
My first class at Kent was W.H. Armstrong's class on Study Skills (first part of first term) and Ancient History. He wrote both of the texts we used that year, and I can testify that this book - and Armstrong as a teacher - saved me. I went on to become an honor student and have lived a pretty good life based on skills I learned from him.
Readers of his book will not have the benefit of daily contact with the author - but if you read the book and follow the process - there is no question that you will become a better student.
Armstrong was a tough task master and an inspiring teacher. He would not tolerate sloppiness. He checked our "plan books" frequently to make sure we were writing down assignments. He made us memorize poems and other material. He taught us to outline, and to read effectively.
He made even this kind of dry material come alive. He would do chin-ups in the doorway of his classroom while he was lecturing on how to take notes effectively, or the Mesopotamians, or the water systems of ancient Egypt, or the value of sheep manure in his garden. His voice never strained, and we all sat there transfixed.
He was - and still is - a fascinating individual. He knows how to plan and organize, and how to teach others to do it too. He walks his talk, and uses examples from his own life in the book to prove his points. (He knows how many hours it takes to build a house because he built his own by hand from field stone he collected out of his sheep pastures.Read more ›
3 Comments 79 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 stars"Before the Gates of Excellence the High Gods Have Placed
By Lonya VINE VOICE on July 5, 2004
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Sweat ... ."

This passage from the Greek Poet Hesiod (which concludes: Long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning) is the core message of this book. It is also the passage that was posted on William H. Armstrong's classroom wall for over 30 years. This book and the work ethic instilled by Mr. Armstrong in his classroom did change my life to a very good degree. It took longer for the lessons imparted here to sink in on me than on others but they were there when I needed them once I got to college.

Study is Hard Work, as its title suggests, pulls no punches. It is direct and to the point. Excellence is not easy. It takes work and organization. Mix well and repeat! Mr. Armstrong sets out a number of excellent suggestions which, when read, cause you to smack your head and say - "how obvious". Obvious yes, but overlooked or forgotten until seen in print in simple declarative sentences. The fact that study is hard work is an important lesson for children, particularly bright children, to learn as they move from elementary to middle school and then on to high school and college. Ones ability to thrive on sheer native intelligence alone gets more difficult each step of the way. This book serves as preparation for the increased level of sheer work that is involved in maintaining that level of excellence. It is similar to a dentist advising you "this may hurt a bit". Foreknowledge is a valuable tool.

As has been noted, Mr. Armstrong's approach may seem a bit blunt in today's environment. That fact alone seems a compelling reason to read the book.Read more ›
7 Comments 33 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsOustanding outline
By wiredweird HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWER on December 14, 2005
Format: Paperback
This brief book is aimed at high school students, but speaks to anyone learning at any stage of life. That ought to be just about everyone.

Its formal, no-nonsense tone closely matches its content, a school-masterly essay on schooling. Armstrong starts by pointing out the number of hours spent in school. If a carpenter set out to build houses single-handedly, he'd be well into the third using only the hours a child spends in K-12 education. Does the student have as much to show for the time spent? If not, why not, and what can be done to fix that problem?

Armstrong starts with the basics: reading and writing. Reading doesn't just mean recognizing each word on the page, it means taking in the information, disgesting it, and incorporating it into oneself as thoroughly as one digests a sandwich and incorporates it into the body's tissues. The goal is to bring the information back to life, not just to treat it as dead facts on paper from dead trees. Writing is the other half of the text. I've seen it again and again: someone who can't express an idea is as ineffective as someone who doesn't even have one.

Only a third of the book remains after that discussion, which Armstrong dedicates to specific tips for studying languages, math, science, and history. He generally handles these topics thoroughly and evenly, except for some weakness in the science and math sections and some zealotry regarding history. Well, he was a history teacher - if conveyed only a tenth of his passion to his students, that was a hundred times more than my history teachers ever got across. I criticize this part of the book only for ignoring the arts.Read more ›
Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Very good advice for studying....

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Interesting

Published 8 months ago by Eva K. Catlos
3.0 out of 5 starsI need magic to get my teen to study

This book was recommended by my 13 year olds principal. I liked the book but I was looking for strategies for motivating my teen to study.

Published 8 months ago by Amanda WP
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a must read for parents so that as your child is developing...

This book has old school principles that are timeless! This is a must read for parents so that as your child is developing you can instill these basic principles for good study... Read more

Published 12 months ago by N. WATERS
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat

Perfect for my son's school.... Thanks!

Published 15 months ago by Stephen
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Good book for my class

Published 19 months ago by Alejandro V. Moreno
4.0 out of 5 starsFundamentals of Learning

Techniques presented in the book are impossibly simple yet effective. These ideas have made learning enjoyable and apparently practical. Read more

Published on September 17, 2014 by Sanfer
4.0 out of 5 starsisn't that a teachers job?

Study is Heard Work .... that is the copy of me reading this book that I got from a Dr. Morgan in Alexandria in 1968 when I was in a $500. Read more

Published on September 2, 2014 by Joe Zao
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat High School Prep

I bought this on recommendation from the Well Trained Mind and I've been reading it ahead of my son and making him read it for preparation for high school. Read more

Published on June 20, 2014 by Jonesey
4.0 out of 5 starsgreat book for incoming high schoolers

This is an old-school book on how to study. Armstrong starts in general with cultivating a desire to learn, becoming a better listener, and time management. Read more

Published on April 11, 2014 by D. T. Kleven

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Study Is Hard Work: The Most Accessible and Lucid Text Available on Acquiring and Keeping Study Skills Through a Lifetime
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway
This item: Study Is Hard Work: The Most Accessible and Lucid Text Available on Acquiring and Keeping Study Skills Through a Lifetime
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.