Rating: 
Summary: Bad text to learn from, and a bad text for reference!
Review: I used this text in high school for calculus AB/BC. This text is not worth half the price it sells at. The text suffers many major drawbacks. First of all, there are too few exercises; important for proper digestion of basic concepts. Also, many important topics are left out or covered with too much haste. Third, the text breaks too far from the traditional. The theory is completely ignored, and the numerical-graphical-theorem style is overused.My instructor had to use supplements almost every week to cover the material required for a two semester calculus class. As for the problems, they are mere computational problems. Yes, they are difficult sometimes, but they do not involve any rigorous mathematical theory. The ability to solve these problems is nothing to brag about. After this class I completed cal3, diff equs, lin alg, abstract alg, etc... I completed the undergraduate requirements for a math major at the university I decided to attend for the next year (I just graduated from high school, I completed these classes through a college release program that my high school was offering). This is the last text I would choose for a calculus class, ever. I recommend Thomas/Finney, calculus 9th edition. That is the text I used for reference. In fact, can you guess what text is being used at HARVARD this summer for calculus 2 and 3? The text being used is Thomas/Finney, calculus 9th edition. If the university which published the text is not using it to teach their own students, why is everyone else. In fairness, I admit that I have heard that the second edition offers many more exercises, and also includes some previously omitted topics. In any case, I strongly suggest a traditional, more rigorous text such as Thomas/Finney for a true challenge, and a fulfilling learning experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Strange...but I liked this text!
Review: I'm currently in the middle of my third semester using this text. I used this text for Calc 1, Cald 2, and am using it for Calc 3. At first, I HATED this text book. The exercises are rarely the same type of problems found in the examples, and not every odd answer is given in the back of the book (There is a solution manual that is very helpful, or if you're lucky enough your school may have the complete instructor's solution manual as a .pdf). That being said... This book will make you a better problem solver, period. It forces you to grapple with the ideas and concepts presented in Calculus, and then apply it in different ways. Yes, there are some "plug and chug" exercises, where you just follow certain algorithms presented in the examples as a way to get to solutions. But most of the problems are much different than the examples, and if you can work through them (which any one can do with some persistence) you'll understand the material all the better. And, you'll be a better problem solver in other disciplines like computer science, physics, or engineering. I have several people in my other classes who did not use this text, and the difference between those who learned calculus from this text, and those who learned if from a different text, is definately noticable. So, if this is your book, be prepared to struggle, but know that it will probably be worth it in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Strange...but I liked this text!
Review: I'm currently in the middle of my third semester using this text. I used this text for Calc 1, Cald 2, and am using it for Calc 3. At first, I HATED this text book. The exercises are rarely the same type of problems found in the examples, and not every odd answer is given in the back of the book (There is a solution manual that is very helpful, or if you're lucky enough your school may have the complete instructor's solution manual as a .pdf). That being said... This book will make you a better problem solver, period. It forces you to grapple with the ideas and concepts presented in Calculus, and then apply it in different ways. Yes, there are some "plug and chug" exercises, where you just follow certain algorithms presented in the examples as a way to get to solutions. But most of the problems are much different than the examples, and if you can work through them (which any one can do with some persistence) you'll understand the material all the better. And, you'll be a better problem solver in other disciplines like computer science, physics, or engineering. I have several people in my other classes who did not use this text, and the difference between those who learned calculus from this text, and those who learned if from a different text, is definately noticable. So, if this is your book, be prepared to struggle, but know that it will probably be worth it in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: I'm finishing my PhD and am now a professor of physics. A long, long time ago, I used photocopies of this book. The book hadn't been published yet, and was still under review. A decade later, I still remember this book. Poor students will hate this book. It requires you to think critically and analytically. It requires you to understand the material well enough to be creative in your problem solving. It is definitely more of a concepts book than it is a "do this integral", "test this series for convergence", "differentiate this function" type of book. Good students will love this book. You often have to make connections between concepts yourself, but the exercises are obviously written to help you make the connection. This is a thinking person's book. Not a mindless student's book. And, I feel obligated to point out (even though it should be obvious), even a 4.0 GPA student can be a "mindless student". A 4.0 means nothing in this grade inflated, rampant cheating, educationally watered down society we live in. Last words. I used this book before it got published. Our professor used photocopy handouts. I think we were guinea pigs for the book. The one criticism I have is that sometimes you really need just to solve 20 very difficult integrals in a row. Sometimes brute force calculational problem solving is just necessary, not to learn the concept, but to gain the skill required to master a subject. The handouts I recall didn't have the 100 odd mindless calculational type problems. Most of the problems were subtle, thinking person's problems. I think the best approach would be a combination of the two: problems to teach concepts and problems to teach skill. This book (in the form I saw) had more of the former, and very few of the latter. As far as the "back of the book" odd numbered problems being often wrong, I can not comment on that. Even as a undergrad, I never used "back of the book answers". Maybe they were wrong, and maybe they weren't. In any event, that wouldn't kill such a wonderful book for me.
Rating:
Summary: To Authors: Get Real And Teach
Review: I'm using this book for Calculus rightn now and it is awful. If you have to use this book for calculus, DROP THAT SECTION!!! Unfortunatly for me it's the book the entire math Dept. uses. The Student Answers Book is even worse. You don't even get all the odd problems, it's every other odd problem (i.e.: 1,5,9,...etc.) how stupid is that????? Of all the math courses I've taken this is by far the worst book I've ever had to use. The person that commented on the problems at the end of the chapter being difficult because of the steps skipped during the chapter is correct. I'm just thankful my teacher if teaching the concepts to go along with the ridiculus methods of application teaching this book focuses on!
Rating:
Summary: Great book if you're willing to work
Review: If you are willing to do the actual work of learning the calculus, rather than just have answers spoon fed to you, then this book should be appealing. The reward at the end is that you really understand something about calculus, rather than having only the simplistic ability to crank out calculus problems.
Rating:
Summary: You'll Love It or Hate It.
Review: In my experience with this text, students either love it or hate it. They hate it because it does not offer a brief overview of the topics, like many more popular calculus text books. Instead "Calculus: Single Variable" requires that a student throughly read many examples as it explains rules and laws along the way. Those who love the text do so because the examples offer a firmer understanding of the concepts at hand, instead of just covering enough material to answer the questions at the end of each section. Although this is a very good text book, it definitely requires patience on behalf of the reader, and may not be the book for students who just want to slide by.
Rating:
Summary: It really is that bad
Review: Most of the other reviewers agree: This book is awful. I had to buy other books and always go on-line to find better explanations to do my homework. The authors forget to explain how to do the problems in the problem-sets. They do a couple examples then give about 50 problems or so that can't be solved using the methods in their example problems. Avoid this book when possible, if your instructor is using it, change sections.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely irritating
Review: My College Calculus professor uses this book as a suppliment to provide examples for the class use. Everyone hates the problems as they are vague and lack any explanation on how to solve the problem or even where to begin. It appears to me that someone wrote a book simply to create problems that cannot be solved by the book's explanations. Calculus requires a working understanding of the ideas and concepts of the base math before an sort of obscure application should be used. I would not recommend this book to anyone, unless they already have a good understanding of calculus and wish to delve further into the application of the math to the real world. In that case, buy the book. For the other 95% that are just wanting to learn calculus; go buy a different book that teaches you something first.
Rating:
Summary: Awful
Review: Ok this textbook does not teach at all. It basically just provide examples that is it. IT doesn't say why you do it or explain the calculus at all. The way the book explain calculus does not help at all when it comes to doing the problems. The answers in the back of the book does not match the problems throughout the chapters. As an undergrad, this book is not student friendly at all. I basically did not use the textbook and depended on the professor and math tutoring. I love math and I understand it, but this book does not help. I am unable to learn from this textbook.
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