This paper presents an effective treatment for pure alexia by a type of single-case design, which we termed a “material-control single-case design” [Sugishita et al., Neuropsychologia, Vol. 31, 559–569, 1993]. Two patients with pure alexia were treated using kinesthetic reading (reading by tracing or copying the outline of each letter with the patient's finger). The results clearly demonstrated that both patients significantly improved their reading and copying performances. Their recovery of reading performance arose from improvement in copying. The results of tachistoscopic reading tests suggested that the patient obtained the ability to read without kinesthetic movements.