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In mathematics, there are whole books almost completely dedicated to problems you are supposed to work out. Or the prose is terse and dense, like Rudin's textbo
by abnry 3y ago
In mathematics, there are whole books almost completely dedicated to problems you are supposed to work out. Or the prose is terse and dense, like Rudin's textbooks on real analysis. They are valuable books, but they aren't often recommended to beginners. You can use a bit of sugar to make the medicine go down.
I think books are often long to give the reader some space to think. Perhaps the best readers know how to create their own space, but the worst readers require the sugar. In other words, books are long because people aren't good readers.
- skydhash 3y ago> In other words, books are long because people aren't good readers. Sometimes, it's just that the reader just don't have the foundational concepts required to quickly grasp the ideas. And sometimes ideas are just so universal that giving a specific perspective is the important thing. Proofs are important for theorems because they explains the why and the how. And stories works great for that. I guess it can be overdone as all things, but one is allowed to skip parts one already understand.