Introduction to the Physics of Electrons in Solids

I was a math major as an undergraduate but found myself doing experimental solid state physics in graduate school. I had never had an undergraduate course in solid state and needed something that would allow me to catch up quickly, so I got this book. It is very thin and very accessible. You can read the whole thing and do all the problems in your spare time over the course of a few weeks. Less, if you put your mind to it. The standard textbook for solid state physics, Ashcroft and Mermin, is, in my opinion, a little too long for an introduction if you've never been exposed to the subject before. I'm also not fond of Kittel's undergraduate solid state book. Tanner's is just right. Read this one, then use Ashcroft and Mermin for a reference. I graduated in 1997 and am teaching now. I recommend Tanner's book to my students, both graduate and undergraduate.