I really waned to like the Gefland books, and Algebra starts off so well, but they are actually intended as barebones exercise books to go along with lectures w

I really waned to like the Gefland books, and Algebra starts off so well, but they are actually intended as barebones exercise books to go along with lectures which introduce the problems. Or, they could for advanced students who are interested in revisiting the basics. As books, the experience is maddeningly incomplete, and they do not teach mathematics to the uninitiated. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone who either wants to relearn high school math or learn from ground zero. During self study, I hit a wall about 25% through, and after checking solutions online it turned out that the problem was extremely advanced and also had an error of some kind which renders the solution impossible. I learned some behind the scenes aspects of the book such as the course and lecture which are missing, and I gave up at that point I think Lang, though tough, actually would be a better book to learn from. It actually seems comprehensive and designed for motivated people who want a very solid understanding of math, but are actually possibly new to the subject.