Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsToo large and no exercise solutions, big mistake
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2021
I picked up a copy of this book because I teach discrete mathematics and I'm always looking for new ideas and methods that I can use in my courses. I wish I hadn't.
These days, in my opinion, the most important thing instructors can do is to help students develop the skills necessary to become independent learners, to be able to stand on their own two feet. That's a critical skill that will stay with them for life.
A book like this only goes part way toward reaching that goal. The book contains many exercises which are certainly valuable to help student understanding. What is missing are detailed solutions for all the exercises. With no solutions available there is no possible feedback loop to help students compare their work with acceptable solutions to see how they've done. Frankly, this makes the exercises essentially useless.
Some authors today are providing complete solutions to exercises but there are still too many not doing so.
Also the book is physically far too large, unwieldy, and heavy. This is 2021. Students want something that will easily fit in a back pack and not give them a backache. I think the author has lost sight of his audience and their requirements. I can't picture a student lugging this book around during the day.
