Note that the first problem is not actually to learn the multiplication tables! Problem 1 is to calculate a few things like 0.004×0.02 and 1.08÷1.2 in one's hea

Note that the first problem is not actually to learn the multiplication tables! Problem 1 is to calculate a few things like 0.004×0.02 and 1.08÷1.2 in one's head; it's just that these real questions are placed in 1(b), with a precursor 1(a), purely to indicate prerequisites, that states "Compute for yourself, and learn by heart, the times tables up to 9×9." (Incidentally, even here the "compute for yourself" part is the real heart of the matter, though of course knowing the times table up to 9×9 is something very useful. You'll see a lot more connections once there's some "fuel", as mentioned in the preface and the introduction to the chapter.) In any case, don't let a cursory look at Problem 1 decide the nature of the book for you. There's more than meets the eye. I don't know much about Tony Gardiner but the other author, Alexandre Borovik, has a wonderful blog called "Mathematics under the Microscope" (https://micromath.wordpress.com/ https://micromath.wordpress.com/) (and also a book of that name); to everything he brings a profound perspective with a light touch, a unique combination. A couple of memorable posts I still remember from over a decade ago: • “Psychophysiology of blackboard teaching” https://micromath.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/psychophysiology-of-blackboard-teaching-2/ https://micromath.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/psychophysiology-... • “Achilles, Tortoise and Yessenin-Volpin” https://micromath.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/achilles-tortoise-and-yessenin-volpin/ https://micromath.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/achilles-tortoise... • All the posts about "a childhood story". Anyway, I haven't gone through this book so far, but skimming through some chapters and how they are put together, there is a lot of gold here. See for instance Problem 78, which is simply twenty opportunities to think about "3 - 1 = 2".