Some can, some can't--I know of someone who maintains a furious pace and seems to get some curious misconceptions of the matter read. It also depends very much

Some can, some can't--I know of someone who maintains a furious pace and seems to get some curious misconceptions of the matter read. It also depends very much on what one is reading. Between commuting and evening time, I can read two or three hundred pages of literary fiction in a week--unless the author is somebody like Henry James. I cannot read two or three hundred pages of philosophy in a week, and probably not that much history. I would imagine that Russell's four hours of philosophical reading covered many fewer pages than his four hours of other reading.