As the number of older adults in the United States increases, more must be understood about their reading behaviors so that adequate services might be provided for them. In addition, carefully documented reading behaviors might yield valuable clues to the early establishment of lifelong reading habits. With these goals in view, a study investigated the reading habits and interests of retired adults who were active lifelong readers. Twenty-one adults with various educational levels were interviewed in the study. The following characteristics emerged from the interviews and appeared to be consistent across the range of educational levels: (1) active retired adult readers started reading early in life with the support and guidance of family members; (2) good readers were aware of literary resources and continued to enjoy similar types of reading materials throughout their lives; (3) the adult readers added new types as environmental influences changed and discarded other types of materials when they were no longer relevant; (4) for these people, reading was personal and most were content with a minimum of social interaction related to reading; (5) as a group, these people were articulate, alert, and mentally active; and (6) the readers maintained a sense of humor and had other interests to complement their reading. (FL)