Product Description

This edition of James Stewart's best-selling calculus book has been revised with the consistent dedication to excellence that has characterized all his books. Stewart's Calculus is successful throughout the world because he explains the material in a way that makes sense to a wide variety of readers. His explanations make ideas come alive, and his problems challenge, to reveal the beauty of calculus. Stewart's examples stand out because they are not just models for problem solving or a means of demonstrating techniques--they also encourage readers to develp an analytic view of the subject. This edition includes new problems, examples, and projects.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3448 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1368 pages

About the Author
James Stewart received his M.S. from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He did research at the University of London and was influenced by the famous mathematician George Polya at Stanford University. Stewart is currently Professor of Mathematics at McMaster University, and his research field is harmonic analysis. Stewart is the author of a best-selling calculus textbook series published by Cengage Learning--Brooks/Cole, including CALCULUS, CALCULUS: EARLY TRANSCENDENTALS, and CALCULUS: CONCEPTS AND CONTEXTS, as well as a series of precalculus texts.

Customer Reviews

Need better packaging...otherwise ok.
The book arrived on time, but it came in a huge box with no paper for padding. The edges looked a little beat up and given the fact that I bought it brand new, I can only assume that it came from poor packaging.

Stewart's Theorem: In textbook publishing, garbage rises to the top
Corollary: As the number of pretty pictures in a textbook increases, the beauty of the explanations declines.

Stewart's Theorem has become painfully obvious to many undergrads forced to pay a massive amount of money for a bulky book that causes endless confusion and heartache. I knew more than one person who needlessly changed their major because they found calculus so confusing, thanks to Dr. Stewart. He should have paid closer attention to his mentor, the legendary pedagogue George Polya, while he was attending Stanford. I was never good enough to get into Stanford, and yet I could explain calculus well enough that a few students were able to remain in a scientific/engineering discipline, even though Stewart was their text. Go figure.

Can I add any criticism to what's been said? Hardly, except perhaps to upbraid mathematics department heads who collude with textbook publishers to foist over-priced books on cash-strapped students. There are many good mathematics, science, and engineering books available from Dover books for very little cost. But you'll never, ever see a Dover book in a university bookstore (I'll send fifty bucks to anyone who can find a counterexample!) That's the reason why your college president earns the income of a corporate CEO. He knows how to play ball with people who matter. (And if you're a student, that isn't you, no matter what they tell you at orientation.)

I will admit that Stewart does give some very interesting and entertaining problems in the advanced sections, although any student who might want to do them will probably be too befuddled to tackle them. An advanced student looking to refine his or her skills will actually find some valuable material here, but if you're a novice, beware. This book is really as bad as everyone says--Amazon doesn't allow profanity, so you can't describe it properly in English.

To the beginner, I'd like to say: Do not despair. Calculus is a delightful subject, and if you've got a good guide (upperclassmen in physics, engineering, and math are particulary good resources), it isn't too hard. Find some better books, and don't bother criticizing Stewart around your professors. They've forgotten what is was like learning calculus; because they've mastered it, EVERY book looks good to them! And besides, being academics, they'll generally just say that it's good, not because they've thought about it, but because the department has chosen it for them, and all that talk you hear about "learning to think for yourself" isn't always widely practiced by people who say it.

Good luck, and maybe look up Silvanus Thompson, Michael Spivak, or Morris Kline. Those guys will help you out.

(And if you're a physics student being taking advanced electromagnetism or quantum mechanics, you can call it "Griffith's Rule." This theorem also dictates that, as the size and quality of the book decreases, the cost function increases exponentially, as does the number of crappy jokes.)

Good textbook!
As a math/chemistry major I am working on a thorough review of calculus theory and concepts this summer in preparation for my fall classes.This text is a very good introduction to calculus and analytic geometry. Provides both the theory behind the math as well as plenty of attention to practical applications in the sciences, business and economics for those who tend to say, "What good is math to me anyway?" There are plenty of worked examples in each chapter. There is also ample review of albebra and precalculus topics in the appendices as well as reference formulas on the front and back covers. Awesome three semester text especially if usd in conjunction with the solutions manual.