Question

What is the best math book?

Answer 1

The prealgeabra book cause it has everything about math in it :)

Answer 2

for which topics?

Answer 3

for math. Isn't there a 'Big Book of Math' somewhere?

Answer 4

perhaps 10 times as big as James Stewart's Calculus text

Answer 5

Vector Calculus: James Stewart Multi Variable 6th Edition
Proofs and Real Analysis:Analysis: With an Introduction to Proof steven R Lay
Combinatorics: Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics Grimaldi and Wesley 5th ed
Differential Equations: Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value
Graph Theory: Algebraic Graph Theory Godsil and Royle

Answer 6

the spacing in that did not work out haha

Answer 7

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/

Answer 8

Mathematics is too big a topic for one book.

The French tried to create a series of books that wrote down "everything", with the pseudonym: Bourbaki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Bourbaki

...intellectually this was a very interesting exercise for some historical reasons.

But even so, the Bourbaki books soon became dated as mathematics grew and grew. (Although if you ever study mathematics at University, Bourbaki is an extremely useful resource.)

So I think any attempt to give a book or even a list of books and say: "Here is MATHEMATICS" is doomed.

However my favorite two book in mathematics are:

* "A Mathematician's Apology", by G.H. Hardy, where he talks beautifully and movingly what mathematics is all about

and

* "Calculus", Michael Spivak: which is the best introduction to analysis and rigorous treatment of calculus I know

Answer 9

So it's best just to pick the pocket-sized sources on the most modern and most specific topics I'm interested in?

Answer 10

Even Spivak's "Calculus" isn't pocket-sized, but yes.

Answer 11

Will it enlighten me on the epsilon-delta thing?