Calculus for the Practical Man
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Looks like a nice book, though the writing isn't outstanding. If someone out there is looking for a free calculus textbook, I highly recommend this one: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33283 It's old too, but the writing is very entertaining---the author doesn't take the subjects seriously, but keeps joking around about how everyone takes Calc so seriously.
<shamelessplug>Hm... hm... I wrote a modern calculus book. It's not-free, but very affordable + it comes with physics. v4.1 is coming out next week...</shamelessplug>
http://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.ht...
longfiles.com/jq5ti168hjsy/MFSS_Clcls_2_Thmpsn_1946.pdf.html
BTW: The first edition of this book is most certainly out of copyright, Van Nostrad would had to have filed a copyright renewal in 1959 which most did not at the time.
You might get asked to remove the link, and, after refusing, have your post killed. That's unlikely, but could actually happen. But who cares?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/139749115/1-Arithmetic-for-the-Pra...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/88264564/Algebra-for-the-Practical...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/88269362/Trigonometry-for-the-Prac...
I can't find one for Geometry for the Practical Man
ya, calculus changes so often, it's best to read a book from the last 2 years, otherwise you'll learn stuff that's no longer relevant...
The fundamentals prove to be quite timeless.
I would say that there are advantages and disadvantages to learning from an older text, depending on what you're aiming to learn.
I find Robinson's book pretty hard going, especially for a relatively introductory class, and would be very interested to hear whether or not this impression held for you.
Contrary to the other replies here, Calculus has indeed changed over time, or at least how it's taught. In modern calc texts, there is an emphasis on limits and formal proofs. In old calculus texts, in particular this book, there seems to be an emphasis on intuition over theory.
The question is a difficult one: Is a self-taught student putting themselves at a disadvantage by using an old text as their primary source of knowledge? It's a difficult question because it can only be answered by someone who's read both an old text and a new text, which seems rare. But here's hoping that the HN crowd features someone who's done just that.
For one thing, Newton barely makes use of calculus in the textbook and instead opts for geometric methods. And even with that, he is not rigorous at all because rigor hadn't been discovered yet. I wouldn't even put it on the same level as modern textbooks since so much had yet to be discovered about calculus.
I would not recommend the Principa to anyone except for historical interest. Everything in that book has been said more concisely by other people in the three hundred years since it was published.
Although in a newer book you might see more modern applications and maybe some more streamlined proofs.
I don't know about recommending the practical-man book; I don't recall him mentioning it elsewhere. He quoted "What one fool can do, another can" (from Calculus Made Easy) I think more than once. I've skimmed Calculus Made Easy and it seems nice, and short.
Having said that I have a soft spot for Thompson's text.
someone please correct me