This is quite simply the best history of literacy and education in early modern Germany that's available in English; but more than that, it's an excellent social and intellectual history of the Reformation. Why on earth is it out of print?

Strauss looks at the goals and the results of the educational campaigns of the early Lutherans, and ultimately finds that until local and regional government took an active role in the administration and funding of the schools the Lutherans established, their effectiveness (measured by the results of inspection committee examinations) was slight. Over the course of several decades, the Lutheran educators learned much more than the students they were attempting to recruit: educational goals evolved, in competition with secular/commercial schools, to reflect the economic interests of rural communities in addition to Lutheran religious goals, and the expectations of the educators also adapted to economic and social constraints.

Strauss writes clearly and engagingly, and his research is prodigious. This is a goldmine of information on a wide range of topics -- the Reformation, early modern Germany, educational programs, conflicting interests between secular and clerical educational goals and methods... Find a copy, if you can, and sink your teeth into this book.

This is the most comprehensive, yet easy to understand book on multivariable calculus I have ever seen. It's packed with lots of tips, examples, explanations and graphs. It even includes "how to"'s on multivariable applications using the TI-92. These authors really know how to teach.

I am an engineering student, and had this text assigned for my Calc 1, 2, and 3 classes. This book was one of the worst mathematical texts I have ever used. The examples were pitiful, and weren't an accurate reflection of the subsequent problem sets. Virtually every section was error-ridden, and the authors' answers were oversimplified, to the point where you would have no clue as to how they were attained.

Also, more about the book itself, and not the content--the binding fell apart for every person that had this class with me, and the ink on the pages will smear with a rub of the finger, or eraser.

The only commendable trait in the text would be the computer-generated graphics/plots. Especially those that were 3D. That is why I decided to bestow the one star...actually, I couldn't give it zero.

If you HAVE to purchase this text for a class, be prepared to write a letter to your professor at the end of the course, telling him/her how awful this text was. If you are looking to purchase it for your leisure reading.....DON'T! There are many better texts out there.

Many people say that this book is bad. On the other hand, I think is very challenging. The exercises are not as simple as in other calculus textbooks. The book explains everything well and provides you with many examples. I am a math major and this book has been really helpful.

This is an excellent book for self-studying. I do not understand why some users rate it one star.

One of the worst math books I have ever used! Examples are few and far between, and the explanations are confusing! Problems are often ambiguously worded and unclear! Considerable time is wasted simply attempting to determine what the the problem means! Horrible, simply and utterly horrible!