I also prefer shorter books. Some other advice -- short sections. I hate hitting a 50 page section. I like to finish a given section/chapter in one sitting.

I also prefer shorter books. Some other advice -- short sections. I hate hitting a 50 page section. I like to finish a given section/chapter in one sitting. Also, practical examples are nice, but make sure they're easy to digest. If I have to whip out my old calculus book to understand the problem you're solving then you're losing points -- unless you're doing a very targeted book I don't want to read, "But first we need to understand the math for wavelets..."