Does anyone have a recommendation for a book to use for the self study of real analysis? Several years ago when I completed about half a semester of Real Analysis I, the instructor used "Introduction to Analysis" by Gaughan.
While it's a good book, I'm not sure it's suited for self study by itself. I know it's a rigorous subject, but I'd like to try and find something that "dumbs down" the material a bit, then between the two books I might be able to make some headway.
Best Answer
When I was learning introductory real analysis, the text that I found the most helpful was Stephen Abbott's Understanding Analysis. It's written both very cleanly and concisely, giving it the advantage of being extremely readable, all without missing the formalities of analysis that are the focus at this level. While it's not as thorough as Rudin's Principles of Analysis or Bartle's Elements of Real Analysis, it is a great text for a first or second pass at really understanding single, real variable analysis.
If you're looking for a book for self study, you'll probably fly through this one. At that point, attempting a more complete treatment in the Rudin book would definitely be approachable (and in any case, Rudin's is a great reference to have around).