Algebra: Structure and Method, Book 1

This is a well thought out Algebra textbook. I started teaching from it earlier this year and have grown to appreciate it very much. I am especially pleased the more I compare this to other books. Most math books these days are little more than pretty colors, crazy fonts, neat pictures, lots of distractions, and very little actual math instruction. This book, on the other hand, actually focuses on the math, explains it reasonably well, and has great sets of real example problems and practice problems of all difficulty levels, including lots of practical problems that aren't forced or contrived. It is not perfect, but it is the best I have seen. Pros: *Lots of math rather than lots of silly distractions *Appropriate difficulty level - not "dumbed down" *Good examples worked out and explained *Good problem sets for homework and practice Cons: *Some explanations are just a bit short, although most are good *Factoring, the hardest topic, is early in the book, which makes it difficult for some students

Richard G. Brown was a master at teaching and writing math books. Much to my disbelief, schools/teachers try to teach algebra and precalc without using math books. Whenever I help an algebra student in that situation, I have them get this book. I help them with some problems and show them how to use/read the math book. A math book is not like reading a novel. The book is well written and very comprehensive. The explanations and examples in each section are clear and straight forward. Before long, the students I've helped are doing well, passing tests, and on a few occasions, know how to do more math than their teacher. Mr. Brown taught math at Phillips Exeter Academy for over 30 years. I've never met Mr. Brown, but his math books are an investment in learning and in yourself.

I use this book even though it is out of print and teacher resources are hard to find. The authors did an excellent job beginning each chapter with a familiar review in sections 1 and then building rapidly into ever more complex problems. For example chapter on fractions begins with simplifying regular old fractions and then section 2 jumps into fractions with monomials, relating fractions with monomials allows most students to successfully simplify/transform complex fractions with monomials and polunomials. Within polynomials. Within each section e.g. 1-1, 1-2, there are sections A, B and C. With B and C being closer to Algebra 2 level, or honors Algebra 1. I love this book and don't know what is do if I had to use the newer Algebra 1 textbooks with useless images and multi color fonts and headings all over the pages which do not enhance student interest or learning, but rather detract from learning and clutter the page. I deslise the new math books, not only for the CC pollution, but for the cluttered pages. Brown et al. wrote an algebra book in black and white and images/illustrations only when referring directly to a problem (e.g. parabolas, area problems, etc.) And there is a page each chapter talking about a mathematician, so his/her photo and invention illustration/photo is there. My students like this book too. If you can get your hands on the study guide by cleo meek, it gives extra practice for students who need it (most students today).

Of the available, this book is good. The order of studying, although not inductive, is plausible. Still, one should study epistemology first: negative quantities do not exist; without metaphysics, this book can ruin one's life.

After reviewing this book, I selected it for my seven-year-old son. So far he has been learning from it without any problems, and with little input from me. While he's accelerated to start with and good at picking things up, I think this shows that the book is well constructed and laid out. As for me, I find the book exceptionally clear in its layout and introduction of new material. The problems are well-constructed and everything is nicely formatted to clearly convey the information. Instead of huge glossy pictures on every page, consistent text formatting using fonts and colors is used (there are a few pictures in sidebars, but mostly tied to challenge or enrichment sections). Exceptionally clear sample problems are given for new material, and the book shows how to work them. My only complaint about this book, which is not severe, is that it definitely takes an approach of direct instruction for new concepts, instead of letting a student noodle through a new concept on his own. (Run a web search on "Art of Problem Solving" for an example of a curriculum that encourages deep thought and mastery by challenging students to discover mathematical principles even before a new concept is fully explained.) However, nothing prevents one from adding in extra material and using this book as a curriculum "spine". For its exceptional clarity and good problem sets, I can't rate this book more highly. With the addition of some extra challenge work, it makes for a quite good introduction to algebra.

This book is a comprehensive algebra 1 course despite the implications of the words "Book 1" in its title. You can use it for self-instruction, because the answers to the odd-numbered problems are given at the back of the book -- and there are lots of problems. It is also a great source of supplementary material for students who are taking algebra 1 in school. Supplementary material is necessary because most algebra 1 courses these days are "dumbed down." The District of Columbia Public Schools, for example, uses a book (ISBN 0618250182) that has been stripped of traditional problems that show students the power of algebra -- "work problems," "mixture problems," "age problems" and so on. And it has been stripped of difficult problems in all of the topics that remain. The book under review here covers the traditional topics and has difficult problems in all topics. The book would be good for a differentiated course, because the problems in each section are grouped into three levels of difficulty, labeled A, B and C. -- Jeff Schmidt, Washington, D.C. (e-mail: jeffschmidt at alumni.uci.edu)

I ordered this as a second book for my daughter's math class (that way she could leave this book at home and another identical book in her locker, thus avoiding having to carry a heavy book to and from school each day). The book arrived in a very timely fashion and although used, it was in very good shape (very minimal/no writing or markings on the pages, all pages intact). The purchase price was fair and reasonable. Overall, I am extremely happy with this purchase!

I purchased this book because a student is using it in his parochial school. The young teacher seems to be trying to teach with the instruments and style with which he was taught. I see much better recently updated textbooks. This reminded me of why students have questioned "why do I have to learn this stuff anyway." There is too much early emphasis on linguistic models and computationally trickery which actually suits later concepts. Other books I use have a more modern focus on functions and applications.

Contains of the book great. I ordered a used book . Condition is just ok. I failed to understand why new book cost so much ?it's absurd !!

HELLO. That's very clear book. It's like very good. It's very late because shipping to the ship. Thank you. Have good day.

Exactly what I needed. A solution manual for a classic text. The school has no more copies and now I will be able to provide support for the other staff that still use and draw on this resource.

It’s a great book, I haven’t used Algebra since University and this book has helped me to start to learn again. The book itself came in great condition with few marks.

I ordered the book because it's excellent. I discovered it through one of my American students and intend to use it with my English pupils. I don't think this approach is used much in the UK. I have yet to receive the book even though it's now more than a week after the latest estimated delivery date. I've confirmed with the seller that there are indeed delivery problems.