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This list of books provides the most direct and rigorous route to understanding differential geometry. Each selection thoroughly addresses its subject matter. The list does not need to be read linearly or only one book at a time. It is encouraged to go between books and read several at a time to acquire the necessary language and understand the motivations for each idea.

See the image on the right for a visual treatment of its dependencies.

The Royal Road to Differential Geometry and Physics is the list's core. While on that track, you should refer to the "Fill in Gaps" and "Backbone" sections as needed or as you desire.

The Fill in Gaps section covers the knowledge acquired in a strong high school mathematics education. Refer to it as needed, or begin there to develop your core skills.

The Backbone section supports the ideas in the Royal Road. Refer to it to strengthen your understanding of the ideas in the main track and to take those ideas further.

The greatest hurdles are motivation and coming to understand the language of mathematics.

See also this list of videos.

Fill in Gaps

Lang Basic Mathematics Cover.jpg

Basic Mathematics

Review of arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, logic, and geometry by Serge Lang.

Apostol Calculus V1 Cover.jpg

Calculus

Overview of Calculus by Tom Apostol.

Royal Road to Differential Geometry and Physics

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Sets for Mathematics

Categorical approach to set theory by F. William Lawvere.
Backbone reference:

Shilov Linear Algebra Cover.jpg

Linear Algebra

Overview of linear algebra by Georgi Shilov.

Landau Course in Theoretical Physics V1 Cover.jpg

Mechanics

Classical mechanics of physics by Lev Landau.
Prerequisite:

Backbone reference:

Landau Course in Theoretical Physics V2 Cover.jpg

The Classical Theory of Fields

Physics by Lev Landau.
Prerequisite:

Bishop Tensor Analysis Cover.jpg

Tensor Analysis on Manifolds

Tensor analysis by Richard Bishop and Samuel Goldberg.
Prerequisite:

Backbone reference:

Sternberg Differential Geometry Cover.jpg

Lectures on Differential Geometry

Differential geometry by Shlomo Sternberg.
Prerequisite:

Backbone reference:

Vaisman Cohomology and Differential Forms Cover.jpg

Cohomology & Differential Forms

Cohomology and differential forms by Isu Vaisman.
Backbone reference:

Backbone

Kaplansky Set Theory and Metric Spaces Cover.jpg

Set Theory and Metric Spaces

Set theory and metric spaces by Irving Kaplansky.

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Foundations of Analysis

Analysis, intro to numbers, by Edmund Landau.

Rudin Principles of Mathematical Analysis Cover.jpg

Principles of Mathematical Analysis

Mathematical analysis by Walter Rudin.

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Ordinary Differential Equations

Ordinary differential equations by Vladimir Arnold.

Bradley Bryson Terrilla Topology A Categorical Appoach Cover.jpg

Topology: A Categorical Approach

Topology by Tai-Danae Bradley, Tyler Bryson, Josn Terrilla.

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Complex Analysis

Complex analysis by Lars Ahlfors.

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Applications of Lie Groups to Differential Equations

Applications of Lie Groups to Differential Equations by Peter Olver.

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Algebra Chapter 0

Algebra by Paolo Aluffi. Easier than Lang's, but less direct.

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Algebra

Algebra by Serge Lang. The most direct approach to the subject.