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Hopefully this question is appropriate. Has anyone read Frank M. Stewart's, Introduction to Linear Algebra and how good of an introductory level book is it? It was published in 1963.

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    @AhmedMasud: Could you be more specific?2012-01-05

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I actually have much experience of linear algebra self teaching (I missed all the linear algebra lectures of my first term (which was not an intro course - it was a top 2 uni [I would rather not say]). Needless to say, with one month before start of term tests, I had my work cut out.

Lecture notes were provided, but incomplete (e.g. no proofs) so I went out and bought S. Axler's Linear algebra done right (L.A.D.R).

The first four chapters were the best of any book I have read to date - layout was easy, proofs were easy and his sentences flow well. There are not any solutions to the exercises but certainly for the first 6 chapters you won't need any (the first three chapters take up a 2 mth course in many unis and reading up to 7 will be one year usually) because the questions are extremely easy (though illuminating!).

The negatives: Many people here discredit Axler - I'll admit the book is strange after chapter 5/6 though on the whole doesn't get too weird. By strange I mean some extremely non-standard approaches (i.m.o. incorrect) are put in. I had to unlearn the material in chapter 5/6 (whatever one was the eigenvalue chap.) and find a book on determinants. He doesn't treat things well in this section (his approach doesn't work well for vector spaces over R and C for instance and - obviosuly - he doesn't emphasize the minimum polynomial as much as he should).

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    +1 Thanks for the useful info, even though it doesn't actually answer the original question :-)2012-01-16