(Oxbridge maths) Which books to read?

Actually, I recommend you put down that you enjoyed Modern Graph Theory by Bollobas, but you found the exercises a bit too straightforward. They'll believe you, honest.

If they ask you about Graph Theory in the interview, tell them the graph of $x^2\exp(-1/x^2) \sin(1/x)$ has always been one of your favourites. I guarantee they'll be impressed by how smooth you are.

DFranklin, as I've noticed, you have graduated from Cambridge, and are well-informed. I will really appreciate your opinion on the book "A Course of Pure Mathematics" (click here).

It is written by Hardy and have a foreword by Tom Korner (the last edition), but I couldn't find any information about it in the Department of Pure Maths at Cam. It is quite an old one, so I assume you may had encountered it during the time in Cambridge (or before that). Thank you in advance.

I've never read it. I do have a copy of Hardy and Wright (which is about Number Theory), and I also have a copy of Modern Analysis by Whittaker + Watson (which was the 'standard text' when Hardy himself was a student).

Based on those, my guess is ACoPM will be quite hard going compared to more modern books. It might be good to have as an undergraduate, but for personal study before university, I suspect there are better choices.

(But that is, obviously, a fairly uninformed opinion, seeing as I haven't actually read it).