Summarize a whole textbook chapter by chapter for revision
Upload your course textbook as a PDF with selectable text, an EPUB or a Word file, and get a detailed summary of every chapter, with key points, in the order of the book, as one Word file you can revise from. Each summary comes from that chapter's full text. The first chapter is free without an account; a book of up to about 600 pages is $5.
- One section per chapter, in book order, with page ranges for PDFs
- Detailed summaries (about 600 words) or shorter ones, as you choose
- Three to seven key points per chapter
- Terms, names and figures kept as the book writes them
- An overview of the whole book at the top
Revision notes from the whole book
Before an exam, a summary is only useful if it covers what was assigned, not just the first chapters. Asking a chatbot to summarize a 500-page textbook often gives a confident overview that leans on the opening chapters and on general knowledge of the subject. You cannot tell which parts of your edition were read.
This tool splits the textbook into its chapters and summarizes each one from its full text, separately. The Word file has a heading for every chapter, with its page range where the PDF has page numbers, so you can go straight back to the pages behind each point.
Using it well
- Choose "Detailed" for revision and "Short" for a quick map of a book you have not read
- Upload the edition your course uses, so page ranges match your reading list
- Read the first chapter summary free and compare it with the chapter before unlocking
- Use the summaries to find what to read closely, not as a replacement for the reading
Limits
Scanned textbooks have no text to summarize: convert them with Scanned PDF to Word first. Formulas, diagrams and tables are summarized from their surrounding text only. Summaries are written by an AI model and can miss nuance; check anything you will quote in an essay against the book.
How the tool works, what it costs and how your files are handled is on the Summarize a Whole Book page; prices for every tool are on the pricing page.
Last updated
Questions and answers
Can ChatGPT summarize my whole textbook?
It can summarize parts of it. With a long PDF it may not read every chapter, and it can fill gaps from general knowledge. This tool summarizes each chapter from its own text and labels it.
How long a book can I upload?
Up to about 600 pages for $5. Unlimited covers about 1,800 pages per job.
What if my PDF has no chapter headings?
Then it is summarized in 15-page parts, each labeled with its page range.
Is the first chapter free?
Yes, without an account. A book of up to 30 pages is summarized free in full.