Book List: A1

I have always valued books. Perhaps this is because I am an independent learner and books are the most comfortable way for me to access information. There may certainly be generational forces at work in this. After all, the network has changed the way that large groups of people get information, and electronic readers have now come down so far in price that they may come into wide use--a generation or two from now may have little use for paper books.

Whatever the reason, I have, over a large span of my life, searched for books that would give me answers and allow me to do things that I wanted to do. When I found one, it could provoke a storm of creative effort, impart a bit of wisdom, or express a long-held belief more eloquently than I previously understood it. These books are very difficult to find, so finding such a list of books on the network would perhaps help a like-minded person tremendously. The beginning of such a list is the purpose of this post, and in this I set forth the organization of it: there will be three lists: one for textbooks (A), one for other non-fiction (B), and one for fiction (C). I have a few ideas for entries, and will start the list with its first now.

A1: Introduction to Probability by John Freund

This book makes a significant treatment of probability accessible to the layman and gives more advanced students food for thought. I especially like it because its sections on subjective probability, utility, and decision making form a very interesting bridge between probability and social science. With its conversational style, and problem sets, and solutions at the back, Probability is perfect for the independent learner. This thin book of 247 pages is small enough to fit in a large coat pocket or easily in any book-bag or purse. Best of all, it is an affordable Dover publication.