The box o' books -- thanks to many of you!

Parent Cafe
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<p>S’s main present from me this Christmas was a box of books: one big heavy box wrapped, and inside it, 18 books, each individually wrapped. </p>

<p>Many people here suggested books for S on two separate threads, one for math books, and one for language/linguistics books. (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/545469-good-reads-about-math.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/545469-good-reads-about-math.html&lt;/a&gt; and <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/602092-good-reads-about-language-linguistics.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/602092-good-reads-about-language-linguistics.html&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>He got and has already finished:
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language (P.S.)
How Language Works
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk</p>

<p>Still to go:
Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician’s Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks
To Infinity and Beyond
The Joy of Pi (currently reading)
Prime Obsession
The Story of (square root of -1)
Letters to a Young Mathematician
Dr. Euler’s Fabulous Formula
This Book Warps Space and Time
Infinite Ascent
Princeton Guide to Mathematics (given separately, to be shared with his dad)</p>

<p>Non-math/language/linguistics books included:
Introduction to the Theory of Computation, Second Edition
Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know about Writing
The Science of Fear
Master AP Chemistry (heh heh; the look on his face when he unwrapped this was not one of pure joy. “Mom, why are you making me think about school during Christmas break??” Sorry, kiddo; just ordered with the others and was in a wrapping groove, so it got included!)</p>

<p>He’d earlier gotten a few other books mentioned on the two threads listed above, too, and will no doubt get others as well.</p>

<p>Just wanted to thank everyone for the excellent suggestions; thank you!! The box o’ books was one of his favorite presents this year. That, the computer from his dad (which stays at his dad’s), and a four-pack of Frappuccino…</p>

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<p>Our arrogant math major son stated he would rather read math textbooks than the Princeton…- H gets to keep his copy.</p>

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<p>wis75 -</p>

<p>Tell him that Timothy Gowers – who is not only the editor but a Fields Medalist – intended the book in part as a guide for practicing mathematicians who are interested in substantive summaries of areas in which they themselves are not primarily expert. And that the articles are written by other alpha math geeks like Terence Tao. Maybe he’ll change his mind. He (and owlice’s son) might also want to check out Gowers’ website:</p>

<p>[Gowers’s</a> Website](<a href=“http://gowers.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/]Gowers’s”>http://gowers.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/)</p>

<p>as well as Tao’s:</p>

<p>[What’s</a> new](<a href=“http://terrytao.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/]What’s”>http://terrytao.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/)</p>

<p>owlice -</p>

<p>Holy Ned, your son reads fast! Did he ever check out the Language Log site?</p>

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<p>Thanks- can’t tell son anything, he won’t listen. I hope to become worth listening to in several years, sigh. Give him a few more years to mature and be done with the intensive courses…</p>

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<p>johnshade, he hasn’t, as I haven’t told him about it yet. I’ll wait until he’s complaining again about being out of things to read!</p>

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<p>My mom got the Princeton book for S1 after I suggested it based on the “Good Reads About Math” thread that owlice started awhile back. The look on S’s face was priceless. He has NO idea I even knew of the book! (S is a freshman math major, currently taking analysis.) He has always been one to “read ahead,” so this was just what the budding math professor ordered – if he is curious about a topic, he looks it up and off he goes. He has been reading it continually since he got it.</p>

<p>S has Spivak and a couple of other good math and CS theory texts, but this one really suits his purposes right now.</p>

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<p>Wis75 - I was just like your son once! So there’s hope (or no hope depending on whether you ask my wife).</p>