What Are Some Notable Baby Books Across Different Fields?

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When the same author(s) write two books on the same topic, with one book being more elementary and less advanced than the other, then this more elementary book is called "baby". A well known example is baby Rudin for mathematical analysis. Another example is baby Reif for statistical physics. Do you know other examples?
 
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Serge Lang, an extremely prolific writer of math textbooks, wrote baby versions for mathematical analysis, algebra and linear algebra. (He's so prolific that there is a joke that Bourbaki stopped writing books when they learned that Lang is a single person.)
 
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Doesn't quite work because the first one isn't a full textbook, but because I (semi) use both, I refer to them as such:

Baby Morin:
Problems and Solutions in Introductory Mechanics

Adult Morin:
Introduction to Classical Mechanics: With Problems and Solutions
 
Baby McDuff-Salamon: Introduction to Symplectic Topology
Adult McDuff-Salamon: J-Holomorphic Curves and Symplectic Topology
 
I wonder if there is a baby Jackson's electrodynamics somewhere.
 
Not sure if they count: Charles Kittel Solid State Physics and Quantum Theory of Solids
 
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andresB said:
I wonder if there is a baby Jackson's electrodynamics somewhere.
There's ELECTRO_MAGNETISM.
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https://csferrie.com/books/
 
Demystifier said:
When the same author(s) write two books on the same topic, with one book being more elementary and less advanced than the other, then this more elementary book is called "baby". A well known example is baby Rudin for mathematical analysis. Another example is baby Reif for statistical physics. Do you know other examples?
Yes, Edwin E. Moise : Geometry. There is also Elementary Geometry From An Advance Standpoint By him. The first is an excellent book aimed at high schoolers. The "Elementary Geometry" is for a a undergrad math student.
 
My example below doesn't quite work because the adult version has two authors, while the baby version only has one author.

Concepts of Elementary Particle Physics by Peskin.
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder.
 
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George Jones said:
Elementary Particle Physics
We need: "Elementary Elementary Particle Physics".
 
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Keith_McClary said:
We need: "Elementary Elementary Particle Physics".
Martinus Veltman's Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics is also really good.
 
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Hecht wrote a baby Hecht as well as a large adult baby Hecht.
 
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Well Herstein wrote a baby version of his 'Topics in Algebra'
 
Linus Pauling wrote a chemistry text for undergraduates who are not majoring in chemistry entitled _College Chemistry_ (and I _really_ wish I had this book when I was in high school).

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13433096-college-chemistryHe also wrote a (sort of) companion book entitled _General Chemistry_ which is a bit more advanced and in depth. It is oriented towards undergraduates who are or are intending to major in Chemistry.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1081360.General_Chemistry

Full text:
https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.448871
 
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Yes
 
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Demystifier said:
In this case the opposite of baby is adult, not papa.
Baby Bruckner couple.
Adult Bruckner couple😅🤣
 
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