The article is devoted to an important but insufficiently studied, problem of reading in old age. The problem is important for developing new effective strategies of implementing the National Reading Program in Russia. The article discusses the overall state of affairs in the field of studying reading practices in the age aspect. The article is based on the results of an empirical sociological project devoted to the study of such aspects of elderly people reading problems as: motives for reading, a book, reading circle, ways of getting a book. The content and reading senses in elderly age are presented as well as elderly people arguments are analyzed.