Agreed which is why I love Artin’s Algebra. It introduces the matrix determinant early and uses it as the prototypical example of a group homomorphism and the b

Agreed which is why I love Artin’s Algebra. It introduces the matrix determinant early and uses it as the prototypical example of a group homomorphism and the book uses matrix groups liberally. Obviously not a beginner friendly book if you just want to understand matrix equations s. But I found the pedagogical approach great and there are some real gems in the exercises. I found it a better for learning versus the standard recommendations of Axler/Lang/Halmos for LA. (Lang’s exposition is kinda weird and Halmos’s choice of exercises isn’t my favorite).