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So over the past few weeks I have been thinking about trying to learn mathematics again at my own pace (starting at the basics), what books would you recommend?
There's a lot of great resources out there, but you need to be more specific.
For example: I really enjoyed Gilbert Strang's course on Linear Algebra, available as a series of video lectures on MIT OCW (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/Cours...).
If you are interested in Discrete mathematics, Knuth's "Concrete Mathematics" is a great book--but it might not count as "basic" enough for your purposes, depending on your background.
If by "basics" you mean "the stuff you should have learned in high school or as an undergrad", the Standard Deviants videos are fun: http://www.sdlearn.com/default.asp
"How To Solve It" George Polya. Heurists and problem solving skills, by a great mathematician.
Do a google search, specially in the sci.math newsgroup. Again, read books by mathematicians for mathematicians; they're often far more enjoyable and actually far more straightforward (I was often confused by the examples in my school work; I didn't care for "vehicle moving at speed X" or "object falling at from height Y". We all have a different internal visual mind and I tended to think in abstract patterns, usually colors, lines or nested bodies, without real physical objects distracting me.)
What kind of math do you want to learn? There's a lot of great resources out there, but you need to be more specific. For example: I really enjoyed Gilbert Strang's course on Linear Algebra, available as a series of video lectures on MIT OCW ( http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/Cours... ). If you are interested in Discrete mathematics, Knuth's "Concrete Mathematics" is a great book--but it might n…
Start with Euclid's _Elements_, and then move onto Archimedes' short books on levers and floating bodies, Apollonius's wonderful treatise on conic sections, and Ptolemy's _Almagest_.
They are excellent for self-education, providing both geometrical knowledge in itself, as well as extensive training in sound reasoning. Don't be fooled by the antiquity of their origin: they teach more clearly than most modern day texts, and their content is timeless.
You are introduced to a concept, given a set of practice problems to see the concept in action, then given a problem set to solve on your own.
http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-I-Cliffs-Study-Solver/dp/07645...
Each book is about 350 pages and you'll be up to speed in no time.