An image reading apparatus for repeatedly reading an image of a fixed manuscript by reading the fixed manuscript line-by-line in a first direction and scanning in a second direction each line of the fixed manuscript. The image reading apparatus also repeatedly reads an image of a moving manuscript. The moving manuscript is transferred from a manuscript supplying section also in the first direction and each line of the moving manuscript is also scanned in the second direction. The image information read by the scanning of the moving manuscript in the second direction is memorized in the sequential read order and then is read-out in an order opposite to that of the sequential read order. The image information read by scanning the fixed manuscript in the second direction may be memorized in the sequential read order. If so, the image information read by the scanning of the moving manuscript in the second direction is memorized in an order opposite to the sequential read order and then is read out in the sequential read order the same as the order of the image information of the fixed manscript.