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 Simply the best Feb 13, 2010
I have heard students complain about how unhelpful this book is and professors complain that it is too easy.
I strongly disagree with both.
I am very well acquainted with the following introductory texts: Strang, O'Nan, Leon, Larson and Lay. As a student, I learned initially from the O'Nan text, then transferred colleges and had to repeat the class with the Strang text. As a professor, I have taught out of the 3 remaining texts. I have also examined the text written by Kolman.
Lay's Ch. 1 is an extraordinary result: he creates an overview that unites all the main ideas that comprise linear algebra.
No other text I know of comes near the breadth or clarity he achieves in this opening chapter. This chapter alone makes the book worth owning.
I also want to answer those who attack the Student Study Guide. It one of the few I have seen that is actually written by the author. It is likewise excellent and provides answers and hints for all the most critical problems in the text. I highly recommend it as well. I require it when I teach using the Lay text.
I have convincingly achieved my best classroom outcomes using the Lay text. I have actually covered most of the first 6 chapters and the first 2 sections of Ch. 7 at the junior college level in one semester with a decent group of students who were often slowed down by a group of underachievers in the class.
In summary, students who do not like this book will be hard pressed to find anything better- just pick up one of the competing texts used in colleges today and try to read it. Lay is by far the most 'user-friendly' text, he is clearly attempting to engage his readers. Unfortunately, most students at this level do not have enough experience at this point to make an informed judgement about the quality of a mathematics text or the quality of a mathematics teacher.
Professors who do not appreciate this text are an even more puzzling group. I can only surmise that the teachers in this group do not understand the ideas or the focus of an introductory class in linear algebra very well and are simply teaching without thinking.
This is one of the best math books that I have ever read Feb 09, 2010
I have read, in details, many math books. This one stands on the top echelon. Extremely good explanations, superior examples, and it takes the space to write about the details.
Some books will brush you off with sentences such as "this is clearly true", "this is trivial", and other nonsense that authors allow themselves to just put worthless book in the market. Hey, we were not be studying this subject if it was trivial. You will NOT find this in this book. Everything is explained !!!
I also found it an excellent book to keep in your personal library. It is a good reference.
 Decent Book, Covers the principles Jan 29, 2010
This book is pretty decent. I didn't really use it much, but its a good reference text for linear algebra. Also, I got the instructor's edition somehow, but its the same content.
Makes learning matrices very very easy Jan 13, 2010
Just a suggestion, instead of buying the US edition buy the International edition. It's the same exact book, and contains the same problems as the US edition. I really enjoyed using this book because it is very easy to understand. I am a engineering student and learning concepts a lot easier especially if your professor is bad like mine was. Definitely a must buy.
Hope this review helps!
From a math challenged perspective Jan 03, 2010
(This comment refers to the 2nd edition)
I have read about one-third of the book so far, page by page, and enjoyed it. This is the only math book I have been able to sit down and read, and enjoy, and absorb. It might be partially due to Linear Algebra being uniquely enjoyable compared to every other quantitative subject. I've always been weak in math and so cannot comment on if this book does not cover the subject area as rigorously as a math major might desire. I can, however, say that it is a wonderful book for the math challenged like myself.
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