When Jakow Trachtenberg was being held hostage in a Nazi concentration encampment, he thought of a system of calculation that would perform mathematical operations easily. This book explains the concepts and applications of this system. The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics by Jakow Trachtenberg is a book designed to help young children excel in mathematics. The methods of calculation presented in this book have proved to be especially useful for those students who are weak in mathematics. Strong mental picture skills are constructed in one's mind as one performs the mathematical operations. The book aims to teach readers how to add large numbers rapidly by just adding a few digits from a few columns. It contains techniques to calculate the square roots of large numbers, as long as eight digits. Like this, there are numerous other short cut methods that the author explains, which make calculations easy and fast. Every method has been created to enhance the speed at which the reader performs calculations. The book claims that the student only needs to know how to count from one to eleven and every math operation can be done. The author used these methods to coach children who were failing in school and it proved to benefit them greatly. A unique feature of techniques in The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics is that they eliminate the need for a calculator. This new edition of the book was published by Souvenir Press Ltd in 1989 and is available in paperback.