You pretty much can't go wrong with any of the Larson, Hostetler and Edwards Calculus books. I took calculus for the first time in 2000, and I still use this book as a reference to this day. ( )

It's funny: My wife uses this book more than I do. Of course, she uses it as a heavy object for keeping papers flat...

This book is a general overview of Calculus (you know, that class you dreaded taking in college, and probably forgot everything you ever learned from it, anyway, as you never encountered enough real-world problems to leverage what you learned there; I mean, seriously! How many salt tanks have you had to calculate equilibrium for? Realistically?).

If you have one of the few jobs in the world that actually require Calculus skills (i.e.: calculus professor, rocket scientist, new age priest, and camel jockey), then you'll probably enjoy a book like this to keep your calculus skills sharp. Also, if you're one of those weird people (like me) who likes to read whatever he can get his hands on, even if it's a shipping registry or bottle of toothpaste, then this book may also be good for you.

Otherwise, you'll probably get lost among all those transcendental functions. ( )