# Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra-done-right/ 34 people recommended Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler in Hacker News comments, 6 had mixed feelings and 11 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 10 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. 19 of the 34 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler”. **Verdict:** Recommended as a clear, insightful second linear algebra book that reframes concepts and has challenging exercises; the most common caveat is that it is not ideal as a first course. Summary written by Claude from 52 comments. ## Why people recommend it - Good second linear algebra book (3 comments in the sample): "Axler is usually recommended as a great second book for linear algebra" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49340076)) "I wouldn't have liked Axler as my first book of linear algebra but as a second book, it worked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48889356)) "probably as a second exposure after a first course, to really understand what's going on in Linear Algebra" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45800149)) - Reframes concepts insightfully (3 comments in the sample): "The writing really has a way of reframing concepts in very insightful ways." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49341236)) "I found it really insightful (and always overlooked) to distinguish between vector and co-vector spaces." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49327478)) "I am a very big fan of Axler's approach, because to me it really gets to the (abstract) essence of things." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330897)) - Challenging, thought-provoking exercises (2 comments in the sample): "They were very hard, bit thought provoking, so I would definitely recommend." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49328963)) "Excellent exercises. Challenging. Really make you put the concepts together." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49336386)) - Lucid writing, spacious layout (2 comments in the sample): "I found Strang impenetrable and Axler simple and lucid." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49327586)) "The layout of the book is very spacious,not cramped, with plenty of room for your own notes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49335065)) ## What people warn about - Not suited as a first course (3 comments in the sample): "This is a great book but and as the author himself notes, it's not an ideal first linear algebra book." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48092501)) "Not everybody is ready for that. Certainly not as a first course." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49336249)) "tried both and they are hard as a starter" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49331894)) - Dry, dense, heavy on proofs (3 comments in the sample): "It's way too dry, and I don't think his crusade against determinants helps the book." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45802680)) "big blobs of opaque formulas and jargon with next to no explanation or context" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48876063)) "It's heavy on theory and proofs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49334715)) - Few computations; questioned topic order (2 comments in the sample): "the complete absence of any computations in the book means they don't always connect the material from the two courses very well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49329563)) "I still don't get why Axler decided to discuss the Jordan normal form after already doing the spectral theorem" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48093054)) - Determinant-free approach criticized (1 comment in the sample): "completely subjective and unusual hatred of determinants" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49328713)) ## Other linear algebra textbooks people recommend - [Introduction to Linear Algebra by Gilbert Strang](https://hackerapproved.com/p/introduction-to-linear-algebra/): 8 recommend, 2 mixed, 5 criticize - [Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra/): 7 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize - [Linear Algebra and Its Applications by David Lay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra-and-its-applications/): 5 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize - [No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra by Ivan Savov](https://hackerapproved.com/p/no-bullshit-guide-to-linear-algebra/): 5 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler", https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra-done-right/ (34 recommend, 6 mixed, 11 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.