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Summary: COMPARED TO "CALCULUS FOR DUMMIES"
Review: As far as this book is concerned, there's little I can add in its praise that hasn't already been said. For a very thorough yet accessible intro (or refreshers course) to calculus, this book is unbeatable. But given that you are even reading this page, and are thus quite likely in the same predicament as I was -- that of finding a book on the subject that is indeed an "idiot's" guide -- I will compare this book with the major other competing title: "Calculus For Dummies." I spent a couple of days deciding between the two. In general, I trust the "Dummies" line more, having had a good experience with their computer oriented books. However, their calculus offering does not have the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon.com. So, being my usually onerous self, I went to a physical bookstore to look for the two books. Although the dummies book is ALSO laid out in a similarly coherent fashion, I think this Idiots Guide does a better job of keeping the unnecessary jokes at a minimum, and focusing on the matter succintly yet lucidly. Didn't take that much of a time to decide really after I looked inside the books. My very subjective but educated opinion? Get this one. Brilliant and to-the-point.
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Summary: Provides an easy overview of the algebra and trigonometry
Review: Calculus teacher W. Michael Kelley's Complete Idiot's Guide To Calculus is no weighty tome for the faint-hearted, but it IS for the faint-hearted convinced that calculus is unlearnable. Here Kelley introduces the origins of calculus and those who advanced its theories, provides an easy overview of the algebra and trigonometry concepts needed to understand calculus functions, and delves into wiggle graphs, limit evaluation methods, and more. His step-by-step approach assures that Complete Idiot's Guide To Calculus will leave no beginner behind.
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Summary: A great book!
Review: Dear Mr.Kelly, Thanks a million time to you, Mr.Kelly. Your book is among of the best books in Calculus that I've read since I compared it to several thick Bible books in Calculus out there...yours is the best! I strongly recommended to someone who is currently taking Calculus classes, or planning to take them eventually, this book is for you, guys. Finally, for the practicing purposes, I wish that it would be perfect if you added more exercises to your book. Best wishes,
TD, a student from San Jose, California
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: First of all, I and my high school students love the book; we all find it funny yet helpful. It needs to be read while taking a rigorous Calculus course-such as an AP course or a college course. This book is not for those who want to learn Calculus on their own, after not having had math for years. This book is a supplement, not a substitute for a textbook. It gives the topics taught a more global perspective, filling in the nooks and crannies, making the students go "aaah, now I get it", tying together concepts that possibly seem separate from one another. The book succeeds in putting Calculus in layman's terms - it does not claim to be a textbook so don't look for rigor, details or practice examples. It simply gives an accurate overlook of what Calculus is comprised of - but you will only appreciate it if you are concurrently taking a Calculus course!
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Summary: Enthusiastic thumbs up!
Review: From the title you can guess that I highly recommend this book. "CIG to Calculus" covers all of the topics from the first year of a university calculus course. The vast majority of the topics are explained in plain, clear and concise english, which is the strength of the book. This book is not meant to be a replacement to a textbook, but as a supplement. The shame is that there is a need for books such as these because the "so called experts" cannot clearly communicate the subject matter in lecture or written form. If you are planning to take calculus for the first time, use this book to help your understanding of your textbook and lecture notes. If this is for self-study, read this book and use a book with a lot of solved problems to cement your understanding. Again, this, in my opinion, is the best book to date on beginning calculus.
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Summary: The best Tutor ever!
Review: Having problems passing calculus? Buy this book. I bought it in the hopes that it would help me get at least a grasp on the subject at hand. It did more than that. I'm now the one in the class with the higher grade than everyone else.
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Summary: Can you say W. Michael Kelly is my new hero????
Review: I am taking Calulus over the summer at my university. Unfortunately, taking it over the summer compresses the class from 4 months into 2. I missed 2 classes because I was sick and this book has saved my butt!!! I first learned of the book thru Mr. Kelly's [website]. His website is not only hilarious, but makes learning calculus fun. The book is ten times better! I am in school to become a high school math teacher...I only hope I can make learning math as fun and simple as Mr. Kelly does. I have already told all of my classmates about both his website and this book. Trust me...get this book...you won't regret it!
P.S. Thank you so much Mr. Kelly!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Introduction, Very Clear
Review: I have two calculus review books by m. kelley, and this one - while the lesser of the two - is still an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of Calculus. I am currently enrolled in Calculus AB (essentially, Calc I, a bit of Calc II, and Differential Equation slope fields). This book was purchased with the intention of introducing myself to topics before they were covered in class, and to clarify those topics in class which I did not understand. To these two purposes, the book was very good. Firstly, the title: You're not an idiot if you're studying calculus. Most people have trouble using the quadratic formula, let alone finding the volume of y = x ^ 6 + 3x rotated around the x-axis. Thus, of course, the name is misleading. There are, of course, assumptions made about the reader's mathematical background. Mainly, that there is one: Strong algebraic concepts are important, as is a fundamental understanding of the cartesian plane system and basic function graphs -- both of which, leading up to the study of calc, one should be well-versed in. Kelley covers (though not in the order of my class) about forty topics in Calculus, ranging from basic derivatives to diff eq slope fields to application of integrals. He writes clearly and concisely, often reiterating what he says in different ways to really drive the theorems and applications home. Additionally, while straying from the topic order of my class, Kelley links together the units in a logical progression: His explanations are excellent, and really have to be -- Every unit in calculus compounds upon the one before it. Probably the strongest part of this book is that Kelley manages to consistantly re-visit past topics and demonstrate how they relate to newly-introduced topics. The biggest drawback to this book is the lack of review problems. This can easily be remedied, however, by purchasing an additional book (IE, 3000 solved problems in Calculus) or going online to do research. This book is not a stand-alone, either: It can't and won't teach one everything about calculus, nor should one expect it to. Rather, it should be used as an introduction - and in conjunction with other resources - to the ideas behind the main concepts of calc. It is an excellent reference for explanations of formulas and applications of formulas. Overall, an excellent study guide and additional resource to anyone made squeamish by the idea of riemann sums and l'hopitals rule.
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Summary: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Review: I knew this was the book for me when I thumbed through the pages and found, lo-and-behold, TEXT! Yes, instead of page after page of uninterrupted symbols, there appears a large amount of descriptive text. That is the strength of this book. It actually takes time to explain things in plain old english. All the calculus you'll ever need, unless you're planning on a degree in math or physics, can be found in this book. This is a book for those of us who simply want to understand enough calculus to use it in our limited domain of interest, and don't give a fig about theory, proofs, and derivations. In my case, this limited domain is electronics engineering. This book has been a godsend. Though most people might think that electronics engineering would require a rigorous background in calculus, this simply isn't true. The calculus involved in most undergraduate ciriculums for electrical engineering is pretty basic and hasn't changed in years. However, most colleges make you sweat through at least two semesters of calculus as if you were preparing for a career in theoretical physics. On top of that they make you buy a text heavy enough to serve as a doorstop with a price (new) that usually starts at [$$$]. This book can be had for less than [$$$]. Mr. Kelley teaches calculus to high school students, and this gives him great insight into the problems encountered by students in trying to understand calculus. It also has given him great insight into the way to explain these otherwise difficult concepts to those of us who ordinarily labor trying to understand math. He has taken advantage of his experience in the writing of this book. Buy this book, either for self-study, or to supplement that doorstop your college has forced you to buy. You won't be disappointed. As my article title says, this is "Just What the Doctor Ordered."
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Summary: Teach Yourself Calculus!
Review: I knew zero about calculus a few months ago. I bought big, thick, expensive books hoping that I would be able to learn from them without having to take a course. That wasn't the case. I couldn't even figure out what the heck a limit was. Then I bought this small, cheap book with GENIUS EXPLANATIONS! I picked everything up on the first read. Excellent!
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