So, because I am a slacker and because I had more dire reading for other classes, I've left all the reading from the past three weeks for my history of the environment class until the last minute. There is a total of about 250 pages in 3 books (not like big hardcover textbooks with lots of picture and big print - these are like normal nonfiction books) and an article I am supposed to have read. I've read a little but of some, but I'm pretty sure there's no way I'll be able to read it all in time for the midterm tomorrow at 2 (an essay question and short answers on vague "terms" he did not go into very much).
So, my stupidity aside, does anyone have any advice for how I can glean as much info and terms from these books that I can by tomorrow without an in-depth reading of them? You'd think I'd have collected these skills by now, it being my senior year in college, but sadly, I have not.
Thanks!

Do a quick outline of the chapters...I type faster so I'd do it in a word doc. Include titles, subtitles, general bolded terms and the "gist" of what you skim. This shouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

Then, look at the outline...is there any area that you feel reasonably confident in? This all depends on what kind of class this is and how your instructor does his or her class, but if there is an area that was covered in a lecture that you feel like you know a good deal about...then go ahead and cross those sections out. You want to find places where you know the least and fill in, instead of wasting your limited time on something that you could probably do alright on anyway.

Then, go for elements that your teacher mentioned a lot (some teachers show preference for some areas of content more than others, and they often end up on exams) and go through that. As you read, make yourself a more detailed outline for that section. Every detailed outline is basically a half-done essay. You can read all the outlines before class tomorrow to help jog your memory.

At this point, you're pushing for short term retention. Make colored flashcards for terms that you think will be listed, and practice talking outloud to yourself. See if there are any general review or summary questions for the chapters you are reading. Pretend you have to explain a term or idea to someone like me that knows nothing about the history of the environment. The more you train yourself to think of this information like a conversation, the easier writing your essays tomorrow will be.

Do your best, and good luck!

250 pages is not that much. you would probably have the time to read it all. I know I can read one textbook page in one minute when I have to read fast. You could be done in 4 hours.
many options
1.get off ddn first
2. read one page, skip the other.
3. read the first 10 pages of a chapter and the 10 last (more or less depending on the chapter size)
4. Try to find a summary online

LOL, I need to second that! I know you came on DDN for help, but the MOMENT you have a plan setup, get off of DDN and facebook and youtube and xanga and whatever else you get sucked into. Resist the urge to socialize while you study...it never ends well. (The shame of experience...)

Google for summaries of the books?

Thanks everybody! I pretty much did all of the above suggested, I didn't finish all the readings but I don't think it hurt me too much. Off to write another emergency post...

^ Don't know if you're still in a jam, but mnemonic devices! they're the only thing that works for me with last-resort cramming. Make acronyms, memorize things in lists (for sequential information and categories) by copying them down and then turning the paper over to write from memory, flowcharts/visual concept webs, making associations of terminology with similar-sounding words and such. this works particularly well for the kinds of odds-and-ends or unrelated information you may need.

Also, make sure you're thinking about vocabulary - if there's a certain phrase, word or concept a book or author uses a lot, or one used by the professor, I have found that pulling those specific terms out on the exam as much as possible will often get me more points than I would've gotten otherwise.

Finally, if you can spin the topic into an area of the class you're more confident in, or approach it from that angle, you may score better. Whenever I'm completely blindsided by a question I sort of talk around it in the essay and fill in with all kinds of related knowledge. If you sound authoritative by giving lots of information, sometimes professors won't even notice you haven't directly answered the specifics of the question. Not only that, but working around the concept like that may well lead to an aha moment where you're able to remember stuff about it that you had forgotten you learned.