Spivak's celebrated textbook is widely held as one of the finest introductions to mathematical analysis. His aim is to present calculus as the first real encounter with mathematics: it is the place to learn how logical reasoning combined with fundamental concepts can be developed into a rigorous mathematical theory rather than a bunch of tools and techniques learned by rote. Since analysis is a subject students traditionally find difficult to grasp, Spivak provides leisurely explanations, a profusion of examples, a wide range of exercises and plenty of illustrations in an easy-going approach that enlightens difficult concepts and rewards effort. Calculus will continue to be regarded as a modern classic, ideal for honours students and mathematics majors, who seek an alternative to doorstop textbooks on calculus, and the more formidable introductions to real analysis.

Michael David Spivak (*1940 in Queens, New York) is a mathematician specializing in differential geometry, an expositor of mathematics, and the founder of Publish-or-Perish Press. He is the author of the five-volume Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry. He received a Ph.D. from Princeton University under the supervision of John Milnor in 1964.

His plainly titled book Calculus takes a very rigorous and theoretical approach to introductory calculus. It has been traditionally used in the honors freshman calculus course at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, CIMAT, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Universidad de Guanajuato, Reed College, the Trinity College Dublin, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad de Sinaloa, University of Córdoba, the University of Oregon, the University of Rochester, the Ohio State University, the University Of Georgia, the Analysis I (first year) course at the University of Toronto, Johns Hopkins University, the freshman calculus course for physics students at the Autonomous University of Madrid, and the previous Advanced section at the University of Waterloo.

Spivak has also written The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting With the AMS-TeX Macro Package and The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus. The famous book Morse Theory, by John Milnor, was based on lecture notes by Spivak and Robert Wells. Spivak's book Calculus on Manifolds is also widely admired. Recently, Spivak has lectured on elementary physics.[1]

In each of his books Spivak has hidden references to yellow pigs, an idea he apparently came up with at a bar while drinking with David C. Kelly.