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Mathematical Programming in Practice (1971) ? E. M. L. Beale (Pitman) ISBN: 0273402447 Condition: Fair (as sold by Crappy Old Books) ? Covers slightly out of line when closed, as if the book itself has been solving simultaneous equations under mild structural stress. Binding strong. Perfectly readable. Slightly rebellious in posture. Ah, 1971. The year of flared trousers, decimalisation hangovers, and the bold assertion that mathematics could be persuaded to behave practically . E. M. L. Beale?s Mathematical Programming in Practice arrives from that optimistic era when computers filled rooms, punched cards ruled the land, and optimisation was something done with a slide rule and quiet determination. This is not ?programming? in the Python-on-a-laptop sense. No cheerful IDEs here. This is the noble art of linear programming, constraints, objective functions, and the quiet thrill of squeezing the last ounce of efficiency from a system using nothing but logic and algebra. It?s about persuading reality to behave?within constraints, of course. Beale, a formidable name in the world of operations research, writes with the air of a man who believes deeply that industries, transport networks, and production schedules can all be improved if only you?d listen to the equations. And, frankly, he may be right. The book is dense in that reassuringly 1970s way?clear diagrams, serious examples, and just enough theory to make you feel like you?re joining an elite club of optimisation enthusiasts. Condition-wise, the covers are slightly out of alignment when closed, which feels oddly appropriate. A book about optimisation that isn?t itself perfectly aligned? Delicious irony. Rest assured, the binding is firm and dependable?like a well-constrained solution space. Pages are strong, text crisp, and entirely readable. It has the posture of a seasoned academic: not flashy, slightly skewed, but intellectually sound. Perfect for: Students of operations research who appreciate vintage rigour Economists nostalgic for pre-spreadsheet analysis Engineers who secretly enjoy constraint matrices Anyone who wants to casually mention ?simplex methods? at dinner parties This is not beach reading. It is ?lean forward and sharpen pencil? reading. It smells faintly of chalk dust and mainframe optimism. In short: a slightly misaligned but structurally reliable monument to the era when optimisation was serious business and algorithms wore sensible shoes. Crappy Old Books proudly presents this quietly powerful relic of rational thinking. It may not align perfectly?but then again, neither does the real world.
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