We have received numerous requests from thirsting minds, parents and educators concerning my most favoured Books. I shall attempt to fulfill those requests here, as time permits. I shall organize them by requested categories.

The Book, that magnificent construct of human creativity— of the human mind, to serve as an adjunct to the human mind. The Book , in all of it’s known and future manifestations, is the externalized fourth pillar of the human mind. This artifact of human dreams & ingenuity allows for one soul to shine it’s light upon another, transcending all bounds of the physical, geographical, cultural and temporal. This first social network of human minds holds the promise of a future of the Human Book Universalis of text, the spoken word, the sound, the cinema and the digital construct towards a future with semantics, cognitive Books, and the biotechnological internalization of this fourth pillar of the human mind— back into the very mind from whence it was borne.

A Book should not construct a fragile knowledge by presenting the facts of a given realm in exhaustive detail, with the latest fashion of hand-holding pedagogical drivel. A book should lay the realm upon an historic and philosophical matrix or a pure distillation, with appropriate chasms in order to force a mind to expand with enlightened understanding. Thus a book unfurls the subject before a mind which is being instilled with the philosophy of the realm, and, a mind which is being trained with the solid discipline of the realm. A Book requires, and demands, a Master to pen.

# Mathematics

### Calculus. Michael Spivak.

• Calculus. Michael Spivak. Publish or Perish. Second Edition 1980. ISBN 0914098772.

This book covers the Calculus from the vantage of Mathematical Analysis providing for an introduction and first exposure to true mathematics. Calculus by Spivak was my first in the Calculus. I must point out that for most, this book would fit into a course of mathematics after one has learned the mechanical aspects of the Calculus. This book instills the philosophy of, and trains the mind as, a mathematician.

Calculus by Spivak should be assimilated either before, or in conjunction with, the beginning of Calculus Volume I by Apostol. The remainder of Apostol Volume I should follow Spivak, with Apostol Volume II following thereafter.

Mathematics under the hand of a Master.

### Calculus, Volume I & II. Tom M. Apostol.

• Calculus, Volume I. Tom M. Apostol. John Wiley & Sons. Second Edition 1967. ISBN 0471000051.
• Calculus, Volume II. Tom M. Apostol. John Wiley & Sons. Second Edition 1969. ISBN 0471000078.

Volume I covers the calculus of one variable, introductory linear algebra, and applications to analytic geometry.

Volume II covers linear analysis, nonlinear analysis, set functions, an introduction to the calculus of probabilities and an introduction to numerical analysis.

Calculus Volumes I & II by Apostol trains the mind for mathematics and applied mathematics whilst producing a mind enlightened by developing the historic philosophy of mathematics, pure and applied.

Calculus by Spivak and the two volume set of Calculus by Apostol formed my first in the Calculus and Mathematical Analysis.

Calculus by Spivak should be assimilated either before, or in conjunction with, the beginning of Calculus Volume I by Apostol. The remainder of Apostol Volume I should follow Spivak, with Apostol Volume II following thereafter.

Mathematics under the hand of a Master.

### Methods of Mathematical Physics, Volume I. Courant & Hilbert.

• Methods of Mathematical Physics, Volume I. R. Courant & D. Hilbert. John Wiley & Sons. Wiley Classics Edition 1989. ISBN 0471504475.

Whilst not a book of particular note, this book fills out gaps in a very lucid manner towards preparing the mind for further studies.

# Physics

## Foundation: for those not STEM inclined.

### The Feynman Lectures on Physics. 3 Volume set. Richard Phillips Feynman.

• The Feynman Lectures on Physics. 3 Volume set. Richard Phillips Feynman. Addison-Wesley. Second Edition 2005. ISBN 0805390456.

The Feynman Lectures instill insight and the spirit of Physics. This text needs to be taken in parallel with Halliday & Resnick.

The spirit of Physics under the hand of a Master.

### Fundamentals of Physics, Extended. David Halliday, Robert Resnick & Jearl Walker.

• Fundamentals of Physics, Extended. David Halliday, Robert Resnick & Jearl Walker. John Wiley & Sons. 8th Edition 2007. ISBN 0471758019.

Whilst not a book of particular note, this text does cover the standard introductory material albeit cluttered with a bit of useless non-sense.

This text should be assimilated in parallel with The Feynman Lectures on Physics.

Relevant chapters of Feynman should precede relevant Halliday chapters.

## Foundation: for those STEM inclined.

### The Feynman Lectures on Physics. 3 Volume set. Richard Phillips Feynman.

• The Feynman Lectures on Physics. 3 Volume set. Richard Phillips Feynman. Addison-Wesley. Second Edition 2005. ISBN 0805390456.

The Feynman Lectures instill insight and the spirit of Physics. Feynman needs to precede or be taken in parallel with the other books in this section, with each set of relevant chapters of Feynman preceding the relevant set of chapters of the other books. Feynman provides compass and spirit, whilst the other books provide the more mechanical pedagogy. Landau & Feynman are the Master Authors of Physics, however, only Landau is complete. You see, the Feynman Lectures were just that — Lectures. The Lectures were not designed as a book from the outset, they were assembled after the fact from Feynman's Lectures given at Caltech. Unfortunate that they were not assembled into a complete Book, a Course which would have produced a stunning introductory course to Landau's magnificent Advanced Course.

Insight, understanding and the spirit of Physics under the hand of a Master.

### Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems. Thornton & Marion.

• Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems. Thornton & Marion. Brooks/Cole. 5th Edition 2003. ISBN 0534408966.

In conjunction with the Feynman Lectures, a complete set is formed on the topic.

Mainly with Volume I of Feynman.

### Introduction to Electrodynamics. Griffiths.

• Introduction to Electrodynamics. Griffiths. Benjamin Cummings. 3rd Edition 1999. ISBN 013805326X.

Complete the topic set with the relevant volume of Feynman.

Preceded by, or in parallel with, Volumes I & II of Feynman.

### Classical Electromagnetic Radiation. Heald & Marion.

• Classical Electromagnetic Radiation. Heald & Marion. Brooks/Cole. 3rd Edition 1994. ISBN 0030972779.

Complete the topic set with the relevant volume of Feynman.

Preceded by, or in parallel with, the remainder of Volume II of Feynman.

### Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics. Frederick Reif.

• Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics. Frederick Reif. Waveland Press. 2008. ISBN 1577666127.

Complete the topic set with the relevant volume of Feynman.

Preceded by Volumes I & II of Feynman.

## Foundation: for those inclined to Physics and serious STEM.

### Landau and Lifshitz Course of Theoretical Physics, Volumes 1 to 10. Lev Davidovich Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, V. B. Berestetskii, L. P. Pitaevskii, A. M. Kosevich, et al.

• Volume 1: Mechanics. Landau and Lifshitz. Pergamon Press. Third Edition 1976. ISBN 0080291414.
• Volume 2: The Classical Theory of Fields. Landau and Lifshitz. Pergamon Press. Fourth Edition 1975. ISBN 0080250726.
• Volume 3: Quantum Mechanics (Non-relativistic Theory). Landau and Lifshitz. Pergamon Press. Third Edition 1977. ISBN 0080291406.
• Volume 4: Quantum Electrodynamics. Berestetskii, Pitaevskii and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. Second Edition 1982. ISBN 0750633719.
• Volume 5: Statistical Physics, Part 1. Landau and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. Third Edition 1980. ISBN 0750633727.
• Volume 6: Fluid Mechanics. Landau and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. Second Edition 1987. ISBN 0750627670.
• Volume 7: Theory of Elasticity. Landau, Pitaevskii, Lifshitz and Kosevich. Butterworth Heinemann. Third Edition 1984. ISBN 075062633X.
• Volume 8: Electrodynamics of Continuous Media. Landau, Pitaevskii and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. Second Edition 1984. ISBN 0750626348.
• Volume 9: Statistical Physics, Part 2. Pitaevskii and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. 1980. ISBN 0080230725.
• Volume 10: Physical Kinetics. Piaevskii and Lifshitz. Butterworth Heinemann. 1981. ISBN 0750626356.

The consummate literary masterpiece of physics. A pure distillation of physics, the Course is the genesis of the Master Lev Davidovich Landau. Would if there could, be a "Course" for all fields of human endeavour.

Physics under the hand of a Master.

## From Foundation to Branches.

### Gravitation. Misner, Thorne and Wheeler.

• Gravitation. Misner, Thorne and Wheeler. W. H. Freeman. Second Edition 1973. ISBN 0716703440.

The magnum opus branch to Relativity and the mathematics thereof.

A Master Work.

### Lasers. A. E. Siegman.

• Lasers. A. E. Siegman. University Science Books. 1986. ISBN 0935702113.

A most excellent branch to Lasers. Very lucid, complete and sound footed.

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