Lectures on Linear Algebra

Rating:
Summary: Best linear algebra book
Review: Lucid and clear notation , complete explanations . This books was first published in
1937 but until now it remains best text book in the field .

Rating:
Summary: Good as a reference not for learning
Review: This is a good book if all you need is a condenced reference on theorems and proofs and it assumes that you go for practice (and instruction) elsewhere. If you are trying to actually learn linear algebra (especially on your own and especially if you want to learn how to solve practical problems) get one of Gilbert Strang's books and watch his videolectures at MIT web site. Another thing that I dislike about the Gelfand's book is that it puts too much emphasis on index notation - instead of matrix notation wich is natural for linear algebra, almost all formulas and theorems are presented at very low level using expressions consisting of variables with multiple indices. Naturally it gets very messy and hard to follow at times. This doesn't present any more information than equivalent matrix notation but introduces unnecceccary complexity and makes things that are really easy to understand very confusing.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on linear algebra I have seen
Review: This is the best treatment of linear algebra that has been published. It starts with n-Dimenaional linear spaces and ends with an introduction to tensors. An excellent description of dual spaces is consicely presented. NO INDEX!