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I have started reading the book Topology Without Tears by Sidney A. Morris. I have read the first chapter and so far it reads well. However, the name of the book is a bit deceiving and makes me think it is not a book to rigorously learn topology. Has anyone read (or) used the book? If so, could you let me know if it is a nice book to start with? If not, could you let me know what book I should use to learn topology? (I would prefer a free book available online. It is quite expensive to buy a good book in India. However, if it is "the" book and I must have if I want to learn topology then I shall consider buying it.)

Thanks,
Adhvaitha

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    I've never seen this book before, but he begins the first chapter by stressing the importance of proofs, so I'm not very worried about the rigor. We shouldn't discourage creative titling!2011-08-27
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    Are the 'tears' referenced in the title the type that drip from your eyes, or the type that rip things into pieces?2011-08-27
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    My students loved the book, it's pretty good. And it is rigorous.2012-01-13

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Yes, it's a good book to learn topology. The author takes some space to talk about intuition, but all definitions, theorems, proofs are rigorous.

(Side note: Looking at your user profile, you might be falling in the calculus trap. Please read this article.)

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    Thanks. I have done a good bit of rigorous calculus. I have finished reading and working out problems from the book "Elementary Analysis" by Kenneth Ross.2011-08-27
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    @Adhvaitha: I'm not here to give you unsolicted advice, but in young age I think it's better to study hard problems (contests, olympiads) than study deep mathematics (topology, calculus, abstract algebra). Problem-solving skills at this point are much more useful than theoretical knowledge. If you are interested, see the linked article (perhaps also this: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Resources/articles.php?page=problemsolving), or ask a question on the forum.2011-08-27
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    Thanks. Yes I am into olympiads as well. I went to the final level, what people call in India the training camp, last year but could not make it to the final team that represented India. I wanted to read some real mathematics apart from enjoying problem solving.2011-08-27
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    @Adhvaitha: That's great. For textbooks, you can check Munkres "Topology" or Jänich "Topology" which are a bit more dense than "Topology without tears".2011-08-27
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    @Adhvaitha and sdcvvc: Dear Adhvaitha and sdcvvc, When I was 15 I spent my time studying deep mathematics (topology, calculus, abstract algebra) rather than hard problems, and it suited me well. In general, I don't think there is *a* right way for a person (young or not-so-young) to learn mathematics; it depends on their temperament and personal inclinations. Regards,2011-08-28