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Rating: 
Summary: A rewarding book
Review: I would not say Mathews & Walker [MW] is better than other books such as Arfken & Weber or Boas. But I recommend this book because it is VERY DIFFERENT than others. If Arfken is like a reference book, MW is like a lecture note. It does not cover every bits and pieces; So as another reviewer wrote below, MW is not for those who are not familiar with Differential Equations, Linear Algebra and Complex Variables (these subjects are almost the core mathematical courses which a physics student must take). But for those who have some knowledge of above mentioned mathematics, by reading MW carefully, you will be nourished with incredible amount of mathematical insight which physicists use. Also, you will be happy to know that this book was evolved from the course originally based on lectures by Feynman while he was at Cornell and was still a young professor just come out from Los Alamos. Feynman later said that from the experience at Los Alamos he knew which mathematical methods worked and was useful, and he tried to teach those skills in his course. MW is still full of that spirit. The book is relatively slim than other mathematical methods books, and really fun to read. You will find small but valuable facts which could not be found anywhere else scattered throughout the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Too light for a doorstop, too obtuse for a textbook
Review: If you already know math methods, buy this book as a reference or to refresh your memory. If you hope to use this book to learn math methods, keep looking. If you're buying it because it's required for a class, be prepared to gather a few more books to get through. I just finished a math methods course. I found myself constantly reading other books to learn how to solve the problems assigned to me out of this book. I used Kreyszig and Arfken & Weber to get me through my math methods course. This book is not for those whose math skills are rusty. Its derivations skip steps which are probably obvious to those more knowledgeable. It simply baffled me. It may be baffling, but at least its expensive.
Rating: 
Summary: you can judge this one by its cover
Review: With a cover slightly sturdier than newsprint, and binding that seems like it's held with Elmer's GlueStik, M&W is a text you can probably skip with no remorse. I can see it having one target audience: If you already have more than a working knowledge of advanced mathematics, M&W should be good for a reminder on specific topics. If you're a grad student preparing to take a class on this subject, then you're in trouble. M&W, while covering a number of subjects, does not go into any of them in sufficient detail to understand the concepts or complete anything beyond the simplest of problems. Their examples are sparse and poorly explained. Out of a class of 50, I don't know of any that found M&W to be of any use (other than the professor, that is).
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