San Francisco, CA, August 6, 2009—Noriko is just getting started as a junior reporter for the Asagake Times. She'll get her chance at journalistic fame and glory, but she'll only succeed with some mathematical guidance from Mr. Seki, her overbearing and analytical boss.
In The Manga Guide to Calculus (No Starch Press, August 2009, 256 pp, ISBN 9781593271947), the fifth title in the highly-acclaimed Manga Guide™ series from No Starch Press, readers follow Noriko as she discovers that calculus is more than just a tough class. As the book's story unfolds, the learning takes place almost painlessly, with the reader sitting in on a series of comic-illustrated lessons.
Mr. Seki teaches the basics of calculus using real-world examples like probability, supply and demand curves, the economics of pollution, and the density of shochu (a Japanese liquor). Noriko struggles but ultimately prevails, as does the reader.
"I'm excited about the fifth title in our Manga Guide series. Calculus is essential for almost any scientific endeavor, no matter how small," said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. "Whether you're a budding scientist or just a struggling high-schooler, you have to know calculus. But many people assume that calculus is too difficult, intense, or tedious for them to even attempt. Not any more."
In The Manga Guide to Calculus, readers learn how to:
- Use differentiation to understand a function's rate of change
- Apply the fundamental theorem of calculus, and grasp the relationship between a function's derivative and its integral
- Integrate and differentiate trigonometric and other complicated functions
- Use multivariate calculus and partial differentiation to deal with tricky functions
- Use Taylor Expansions to accurately imitate difficult functions with polynomials
Calculus doesn't have to be difficult or dull. The Manga Guide to Calculus gives readers an entertaining and thorough introduction to this indispensable discipline.
For more information or to request a review copy of The Manga Guide to Calculus, contact Travis Peterson at No Starch Press (nostarchpr@oreilly.com, +1.415.863.9900, x300), or visit www.nostarch.com.
About the Author
Hiroyuki Kojima was born in 1958. He received his PhD in Economics from the Graduate School of Economics, Faculty of Economics, at the University of Tokyo. He has worked as a lecturer and is now an associate professor in the Faculty of Economics at Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan. While highly praised as an economist, he is also active as an essayist and has published a wide range of books on mathematics and economics at the fundamental, practical, and academic levels.
Praise for Other Books in the Manga Guide Series:
"Presents statistics as something fun, and something enlightening."
—GOOD MATH, BAD MATH
"The most enjoyable tech book I've ever read."
—LINUX PRO MAGAZINE
"A fun and fairly painless lesson on what many consider to be a less-than-thrilling subject."
—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"A solid book and I wish there were more like it in the IT world."
—SLASHDOT
"Way better than trying to comprehend a bland statistics book."
—DR. DOBB'S CODETALK
"Engaging, organized, and easy to understand."
—MANGA MANIAC CAFE
"A perfect addition to a homeschool curriculum...great for anyone wanting an introduction or a refresher on statistics."
—PARENTING SQUAD
"A light, impressively non-oppressive read, especially considering the technical nature of its subject."
—AIN'T IT COOL NEWS
Sample pages from The Manga Guide to Calculus:
Additional Resources
Excerpt from The Manga Guide to Calculus
Table of contents overview
Detailed table of contents (PDF)
Index (PDF)
Large cover image
The Manga Guide to Calculus
by Hiroyuki Kojima, Shin Togami, and Becom Co., Ltd.
August 2009, 256 pp
ISBN 9781593271947, $19.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com, +1.415.863.9900).
About the Manga Guide Series
Each volume in the Manga Guide series explains essential scientific and technical subjects using Japanese-style comics. Co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, each guide is written by a scientist or mathematician with expertise in the field and illustrated by a professional manga artist and scenario writer, ensuring the authenticity and accuracy readers demand. Bestsellers in their original Japanese, these unique books are translated into English with the assistance and oversight of technical experts. Titles in the series include The Manga Guide to Statistics (9781593271893, Nov 2008), Databases (9781593271909, Jan 2009), Electricity (9781593271978, Mar 2009), Physics (9781593271961, May 2009), Calculus (9781593271947, Aug 2009), and Molecular Biology (9781593272029, Aug 2009).
About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent technical book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, science, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. Visit www.nostarch.com for a complete catalog.
About Ohmsha
Founded in 1914, Ohmsha is a science and engineering book publisher based in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to publishing dozens of titles a year in Japan, Ohmsha is also active in foreign projects, including co-publications with major publishers in Europe, North America, and Asia, and joint ventures with major international publishers. With the aim of contributing to the development and progress of science and technology in Japan, Ohmsha established The Promotion Foundation for Electrical Science and Engineering in 1951. Through this foundation, the OHM Technology Award is given every year to those who have made significant contributions to the field of electrical engineering.
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.