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Questions tagged [books]

Questions in which books play a key-role, such as questions on antique books, e-books, difference between various editions of a book, etc. For questions asking for recommendations of books on some subject the tag textbook-recommendation is often more suitable.

249 votes
37 answers
173k views

Best algebraic geometry textbook? (other than Hartshorne)

I think (almost) everyone agrees that Hartshorne's Algebraic Geometry is still the best. Then what might be the 2nd best? It can be a book, preprint, online lecture note, webpage, etc. One suggestion ...
47 votes
7 answers
15k views

Classification of (compact) Lie groups

I would like to study/understand the (complete) classification of compact lie groups. I know there are a lot of books on this subject, but I'd like to hear what's the best route I can follow (in your ...
91 votes
70 answers
18k views

Old books still used

It's a commonplace to state that while other sciences (like biology) may always need the newest books, we mathematicians also use to use older books. While this is a qualitative remark, I would like ...
20 votes
11 answers
15k views

What to do with antique math books?

My grandfather had a PhD in math. When he died, he left a lot of math textbooks, which I took. These include things like Van der Waerden's 2-volume algebra set from the 1970s, "Studies in Global ...
318 votes
22 answers
103k views

Why do so many textbooks have so much technical detail and so little enlightenment? [closed]

I think/hope this is okay for MO. I often find that textbooks provide very little in the way of motivation or context. As a simple example, consider group theory. Every textbook I have seen that ...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Reference request: Oldest linear algebra books with exercises?

Inspired by the recent success of my "soft question" here, I also have to ask, what are some of the oldest linear algebra books out there with exercises? I'm fine with or without solutions, either way....
192 votes
47 answers
28k views

Books you would like to read (if somebody would just write them…)

I think that the title is self-explanatory but I'm thinking about mathematical subjects that have not received a full treatment in book form or if they have, they could benefit from a different ...
154 votes
54 answers
22k views

Old books you would like to have reprinted with high-quality typesetting

There are some questions on mathoverflow such as What out-of-print books would you like to see re-printed? Old books still used with answers that tell us things such as: Mathematicians prefer to use ...
80 votes
64 answers
16k views

Books you would like to see translated into English

I have recently been told of a proposal to produce an English translation of Landau's Handbuch der Lehre von der Verteilung der Primzahlen, and this prompts me to ask a more general question: ...
68 votes
30 answers
37k views

A book you would like to write

Writing a book from the beginning to the end is (so I heard) a very hard process. Planning a book is easier. This question is dual in a sense to the question "Books you would like to read (if somebody ...
38 votes
26 answers
56k views

Text for an introductory Real Analysis course.

Any suggestions on a good text to use for teaching an introductory Real Analysis course? Specifically what have you found to be useful about the approach taken in specific texts?
23 votes
3 answers
1k views

Which tools can identify scholarly papers that use the same types of equations?

Many types of equations are being used in multiple contexts, so a search for specific formulas might be one way to identify scholarly papers that are conceptually related. Is any website or tool ...
Daniel Mietchen's user avatar
13 votes
5 answers
3k views

Reference request: Oldest calculus, real analysis books with exercises?

Per the title, what are some of the oldest calculus, real analysis books out there with exercises? Maybe there are some hidden gems from before the 20th century out there. Edit. Unsolved exercises ...
194 votes
43 answers
43k views

Are there other nice math books close to the style of Tristan Needham?

I've been very positively impressed by Tristan Needham's book "Visual Complex Analysis", a very original and atypical mathematics book which is more oriented to helping intuition and insight than to ...
136 votes
15 answers
36k views

Statistics for mathematicians

I'm looking for an overview of statistics suitable for the mathematically mature reader: someone familiar with measure theoretic probability at say Billingsley level, but almost completely ignorant of ...

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