To answer the question, let's denote the fraction of the book that Richard can read in a given time.
If Richard can read \( \frac{1}{4} \) of a book in \( \frac{1}{2} \) hour, to find out how much he can read in one hour, we can set up a proportion.
Since \( \frac{1}{4} \) of a book takes \( \frac{1}{2} \) hour, in one full hour (which is twice as long), he can read:
\[ \text{Amount read in 1 hour} = 2 \times \frac{1}{4} = \frac{2}{4} = \frac{1}{2} \]
Thus, Richard can read \( \frac{1}{2} \) of a book in one hour.
So the correct answer is:
C. \( \frac{1}{2} \) of a book.