Countless people have relied on Anton to learn the difficult concepts of calculus. The new ninth edition continues the tradition of providing an accessible introduction to the field. It improves on the carefully worked and special problems to increase comprehension. New applied exercises demonstrate the usefulness of mathematics. More summary tables and step-by-step summaries are included to offer additional support when learning the concepts. And Quick Check exercises have been revised to more precisely focus on the most important ideas. This book will help anyone who needs to learn calculus and build a strong mathematical foundation.
A thorough and comprehensive introduction to calculus (differential, integral, and multivariate), suitable for 3 semesters at the college freshman/sophomore level. There are plenty of end-of-chapter homework problems, with answers to odd problems in the back, so it can be used not only for a course text, but also for individual study.
The discussion is clear and logical, and fairly rigorous.
The two-color printing is less flashy than many modern books. But the main disadvantage of an edition this old (1980) compared to a more modern text is that it makes no mention of the graphing calculators or symbolic math programs that all college students have access to.
I have the 2nd edition. I do not find Anton's books very good. When I was taking calculus I may have looked at the examples in the book, but never found myself doing any of the problems for extra practice. Now that I'm done with calculus I still feel no desire to use this book for reference or to brush up on things. This is generally the last book I'll consult if I'm looking for an answer to a problem. It's an average to less than average book.
One of the pleasures of reading older edition textbooks is enjoying excellent matte paper, which is easier to use under fluorescent lighting or near the end of a long day of reading. For those students or instructors with colour blindness or vision perception issues, the minimal reliance on colour in the book means these readers can access all the content of the text.