The smart-aleck marginal notes notwithstanding, this is a serious math book for those who are willing to dot every i and cross every t. Unlike most math texts (esp. graduate math texts), nothing is omitted along the way. Notation is explained (=very= important), common pitfalls are pointed out (as opposed to the usual way students come across them -- by getting back bleeding exams), and what is important and what is =not= as important are indicated.

Still, I cannot leave the marginal notes unremarked; some are serious warnings to the reader. For example, in the introduction, one note remarks "I would advise the casual student to stay away from this course." Notes that advise one to skim, and there are a few, should be taken seriously. All the marginal notes come from the TAs who had to help with the text, and thus have a more nitty-gritty understanding of the difficulties students are likely to face. Still, there are plenty of puns and bad jokes to amuse the text-reader for hours: "The empty set is pointless," "But not Imbesselian," and "John .