Really why by a book when you can just grab a PDF. I used Linear Algebra Done Wrong for my class this semester, and found it a pretty good book for being free. check it out: www.math.brown.edu/~treil/papers/LADW/LADW.pdf
Skimming the preface, this book appears to be something like the approach btilly describes. Thanks for the link. Intend to download to my iPod Touch to compete for my rare moments of free time with Elements of Statistical Learning, and the other free Math and CS books I'm sure will be on there soon.
