Bolton won away in the English Premier League for the first time this season to leave Reading deep in relegation trouble.
Goals from Kevin Nolan and Heidar Helguson allowed Gary Megson's side to bank three precious points and move up to 13th.
The result pushed Reading nearer to the drop zone ahead of next week's trip to in-form Everton and, had Derby not equalised at Birmingham late on, it would have dropped into the bottom three.
Steve Coppell's side have yet to win away and are banking on its home form to pull it through, but this was a desperately disappointing performance and the Royals have now lost as many as they have won in front of their own fans.
Reading did not initially look like a side that had suffered five straight league defeats and failed to pick up a single point in 2008.
But although Jussi Jaaskelainen was required to punch away crosses and come of his line to boot away through balls, the Bolton goalkeeper did not have to make a save of note in the opening 20 minutes.
After that the visitors began to take control and there was a let-off for Reading in the 23rd minute when Marcus Hahnemann pulled off a penalty save to deny Matt Taylor.
New signing Marek Matejovsky was the man who gave it away, with the Czech Republic midfielder marking his first start with a clumsy challenge on Gretar Steinsson just inside the box.
Hahnemann guessed correctly with a dive to his left to add to his denial of Robbie Keane at Tottenham five games previously.
The American ended up conceding six that afternoon, however, and it was not long before he was picking the ball out of the net as Bolton turned its new-found superiority into a lead.
Leroy Lita had been booked for dissent after Matejovsky had given away a free-kick and the Reading back-line failed to deal with Jaaskelainen's long-ball into the box.
Kevin Davies out-jumped Kalifa Cisse to head across the danger zone where Nolan had arrived to slot home from 10 yards. It was his fifth goal of the season and Bolton's first in four games.
The half-time whistle could not come soon enough for Reading, whose confidence had been drained away by the set-back, and Dave Kitson, back following flu, showed his frustration with a late challenge on Ricardo Gardner that earned him a booking. The striker looked nothing like a player who had been on the brink of an England call-up.
Bolton's new £5million signing from Aston Villa, Gary Cahill, had to concede a corner as Reading came out fighting and Ivan Campo almost put through his own goal from the Nicky Shorey set-piece.
Danny Guthrie was perfectly placed to hack off the line on that occasion but Reading had only themselves to blame when Ivar Ingimarsson scuffed wide from 10 yards from the next attack after the defender's initial shot had been blocked by a defender.
It was to prove costly as Bolton then doubled their lead through their own Icelander, Helguson, who poked past Hahnemann in the 58th minute after Taylor's initial shot had been partially blocked.
The home fans were convinced the former Fulham man should have been flagged offside as no defender was near him as he applied the finish to net only his second goal of the season. But television replays showed the linesman