Thousands of prices just dropped across Thryft
Our price drop is now live! Find lowered prices on thousands of one-of-a-kind finds across Thryft
Free delivery on all orders above RM80 to Malaysia
Get 10% off all year round! Join Thryft Club

Your cart

Your cart is empty

Check out these collections!

Bestselling Fiction
Bestselling Nonfiction
Bestselling Books for Children
Vintage and Rare Books
Vinyl Records
Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing

Find more of what you love

Get thoughtful picks from Thryft’s ever-changing collection of pre-loved books, vinyl and CDs—plus occasional sales and events.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Thryft. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The Skeleton Key of Mathematics: A Simple Account of Complex Algebraic Theories

by Dudley E. Littlewood
The Skeleton Key of Mathematics: A Simple Account of Complex Algebraic Theories
The Skeleton Key of Mathematics: A Simple Account of Complex Algebraic Theories

Big algebra ideas, made surprisingly approachable

This is a great pick if abstract math usually feels locked behind dense jargon. It has the rare charm of making intimidating topics feel connected, readable, and even elegant without talking down to you. Readers who enjoy seeing the big picture in mathematics will likely love how it turns a maze of advanced ideas into something coherent and inviting.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

The Skeleton Key of Mathematics: A Simple Account of Complex Algebraic Theories

by Dudley E. Littlewood
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

ISBN: 9780486425436
Author: Dudley E. Littlewood
Publisher: Dover Publications
Date of Publication: 2002-11-11
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Science, Philosophy, Personal Development
Related Topics: Popular Science, Education, Mathematics, Theory
Goodreads rating: 3.53
(rated by 17 readers)

Description

As the title promises, this helpful volume offers easy access to the abstract principles common to science and mathematics. It eschews technical terms and omits troublesome details in favor of straightforward explanations that will allow scientists to read papers in branches of science other than their own, mathematicians to appreciate papers on topics on which they have no specialized knowledge, and other readers to cultivate an improved understanding of subjects employing mathematical principles. The broad scope of topics encompasses Euclid’s algorithm; congruences; polynomials; complex numbers and algebraic fields; algebraic integers, ideals, and p-adic numbers; groups; the Galois theory of equations; algebraic geometry; matrices and determinants; invariants and tensors; algebras; group algebras; and more. It is refreshing to find a book which deals briefly but competently with a variety of concatenated algebraic topics, that is not written for the specialist, enthused the Journal of the Institute of Actuaries Students’ Society about this volume, adding that Littlewood’s book can be unreservedly recommended.
 

Big algebra ideas, made surprisingly approachable

This is a great pick if abstract math usually feels locked behind dense jargon. It has the rare charm of making intimidating topics feel connected, readable, and even elegant without talking down to you. Readers who enjoy seeing the big picture in mathematics will likely love how it turns a maze of advanced ideas into something coherent and inviting.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

You might enjoy this if…

View book details