Long(er)-Form Mathematics
Welcome to the companion website for Jay Cummings’ long-form mathematics textbooks! Click on the links below to navigate to each book’s homepage.
YouTube Channel
In Fall 2025 I started a YouTube channel. At the moment I am creating short videos on the Proofs book, but eventually will do many more things. You can find it (and subscribe!) here:
https://www.youtube.com/@LongFormMath
LongFormMusic: This YouTube channel also includes a song I wrote. It is a math history version of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire. Check it out here.
LongFormMerch
Check out math-themed merchandise at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LongFormMerch
Here are some examples:
About Me
My name is Jay Cummings and I am a math professor at CSU Sacramento. I received my PhD in 2016 from UC San Diego under Ron Graham. Most of my published work is in various areas of combinatorics. I am striving to write textbooks which are enjoyable to read, highlight the beauty in mathematics, and are significantly more affordable than other textbooks on the market.
I am married and my kids are the cutest. They are 1 and 3 at the time of this writing (early 2025). The dream would be to write a math book with them some day. We’ll see.
Social Media
If you would like to follow me on social media, my handle is @LongFormMath on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. I plan to eventually make many videos on YouTube, so feel free to follow even though there is not much there yet. Some links:
Supporting the books: Rate and Review
I have self-published my textbooks to keep costs low. A big publisher asked to publish them, but insisted on charging $ \$ 85 $ per copy. By self-publishing I can sell them for around $ \$ 25$. The one downside is that nobody promotes my books… except for my lovely readers.
If you liked my books and want to help to promote low-cost math textbooks, please leave a rating and/or review of them on their Amazon page. It goes a long ways to helping others discover the books.
Thank you!
Buy Others The Books
To the Jim Simons-type billionaire reading this: I would love to sell the books for even less, especially in countries where they have to be imported and where wages are far less. If you want to help fund this, let’s talk! Lunch at your place?
Contact me.
If you would like to contact me, you can send me an email at LongFormMath at gmail dot com.
Giving Talks to Undergrad Audiences
I enjoy giving talks to undergrad audiences at conferences and colloquia. I paused doing so for many years while my kids were young, but am now available to do so again! If you would like me to give a talk at your event, please email me at LongFormMath at gmail dot com. I hope to see you soon!