Linear Algebra Done Right
Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axlerby Sheldon Axler
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 7 linear algebra textbooks
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.
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.
53 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 41
- criticize it
- 12
- approval share
- 77%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 41 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good second linear algebra book
“Axler is usually recommended as a great second book for linear algebra”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “I wouldn't have liked Axler as my first book of linear algebra but as a second book, it worked”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The early History of the Singular Value Decomposition (1993) [pdf]” “probably as a second exposure after a first course, to really understand what's going on in Linear Algebra”
Comment from 3 Nov 2025 in “An Illustrated Introduction to Linear Algebra, Chapter 2: The Dot Product” Reframes concepts insightfully
“The writing really has a way of reframing concepts in very insightful ways.”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “I found it really insightful (and always overlooked) to distinguish between vector and co-vector spaces.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “I am a very big fan of Axler's approach, because to me it really gets to the (abstract) essence of things.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” Challenging, thought-provoking exercises
“They were very hard, bit thought provoking, so I would definitely recommend.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “Excellent exercises. Challenging. Really make you put the concepts together.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” Lucid writing, spacious layout
“I found Strang impenetrable and Axler simple and lucid.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “The layout of the book is very spacious,not cramped, with plenty of room for your own notes.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Not suited as a first course
“This is a great book but and as the author himself notes, it's not an ideal first linear algebra book.”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “Think Linear Algebra” “I wouldn't have liked Axler as my first book of linear algebra but as a second book, it worked”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The early History of the Singular Value Decomposition (1993) [pdf]” “Not everybody is ready for that. Certainly not as a first course.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” - Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler”
Dry, dense, heavy on proofs
“It's way too dry, and I don't think his crusade against determinants helps the book.”
Comment from 3 Nov 2025 in “An Illustrated Introduction to Linear Algebra, Chapter 2: The Dot Product” “big blobs of opaque formulas and jargon with next to no explanation or context”
Comment from 11 Jul 2026 in “The early History of the Singular Value Decomposition (1993) [pdf]” “It's heavy on theory and proofs.”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” Determinant-free approach criticized
“It's way too dry, and I don't think his crusade against determinants helps the book.”
Comment from 3 Nov 2025 in “An Illustrated Introduction to Linear Algebra, Chapter 2: The Dot Product” “completely subjective and unusual hatred of determinants”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” Few computations; questioned topic order
“the complete absence of any computations in the book means they don't always connect the material from the two courses very well”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Linear Algebra Done Right – Sheldon Axler” “I still don't get why Axler decided to discuss the Jordan normal form after already doing the spectral theorem”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “Think Linear Algebra”
Other linear algebra textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other linear algebra textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Algebra Done Rightby Sheldon AxlerThis page | 41 | 12 | 77% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Introduction to Linear Algebraby Gilbert Strang | 11 | 5 | 69% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Linear Algebraby Friedberg, Insel and Spence | 8 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Linear Algebra and Its Applicationsby David Lay | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebraby Ivan Savov | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 60 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“But this helps me truly understand linear codes down the line”
“I've started working through Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right.”
“what sets LADR apart is the intentional delay of introducing determinants”
“The writing really has a way of reframing concepts in very insightful ways.”
“Axler is usually recommended as a great second book for linear algebra”
“Excellent exercises. Challenging. Really make you put the concepts together.”
“Not everybody is ready for that. Certainly not as a first course.”
“The layout of the book is very spacious,not cramped, with plenty of room for your own notes.”
“It's heavy on theory and proofs.”
“tried both and they are hard as a starter”
“I am a very big fan of Axler's approach, because to me it really gets to the (abstract) essence of things.”
“the complete absence of any computations in the book means they don't always connect the material from the two courses very well”
“LADW saved me in undergrad, but I was pretty much exactly the target audience”
“it's designed for a 2nd course and primarily aimed at math majors”
“They were very hard, bit thought provoking, so I would definitely recommend.”
“completely subjective and unusual hatred of determinants”
“Axler is notoriously shy with matrices, but Axler introduces them up front”
“This is a holy book for a lot of game developers.”
“Axler is much better prep for higher level applied math, as well as pure.”
“for an honors approach with more focus on proofs”
“Defining the determinant as the unique multilinear alternating form satisfying certain properties is very normal”
“I found Strang impenetrable and Axler simple and lucid.”
“I would have appreciated notices, which proofs and theorems do not hold in the general case.”
“I found it really insightful (and always overlooked) to distinguish between vector and co-vector spaces.”
“I passed the class just because of how good the book is.”
“These days, linear algebra done right should be accompanied with some CAS to view how algorithms are used.”
“I wouldn't have liked Axler as my first book of linear algebra but as a second book, it worked”
“the book in my opinion is a masterpiece in math composition”
“big blobs of opaque formulas and jargon with next to no explanation or context”
“should get you at least part of the way there, content-wise, depending on what other math background you have”
“Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right (another excellent book)”
“The best textbooks I used in uni were either free or extremely cheap”
“I still don't get why Axler decided to discuss the Jordan normal form after already doing the spectral theorem”
“This is a great book but and as the author himself notes, it's not an ideal first linear algebra book.”
“The 4th edition of Linear Algebra Done Right has a much improved approach to determinants themselves”
“nothing as authoritative as Axler or Strang”
“It's way too dry, and I don't think his crusade against determinants helps the book.”
“it's an absolute joy, but is really packed”
“probably as a second exposure after a first course, to really understand what's going on in Linear Algebra”
“the book "Linear Algebra Done Right" by Sheldon Axler. It's available for free from the author's website”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.