What a lovely title, this! Ever so promising. Ever so beguiling, as well. If only I could figure out what to write in its cool shadow, though. And I have tried and tried. I have tried so many times that I have lost the count. But I have also failed every single time quite thoroughly. Nay, dismally. Still, I would not give up. As a matter of fact, I could not give up. Such a promising title cannot possibly be abandoned at will. Never, ever. Not at my age, at least. Nor after some forty years of trying in vain. But wait a minute. Look again! And take a closer look! Residua for beginners, and no kidding about it!

Addendum (February 14, 2021)

Having just gone through my Residua from cover to cover, I can say without a trace of reluctance that it is a no-bullshit book (“The Highest Praise I Can Muster,” February 14, 2021). It took me no less than three months of careful scrutiny to come up with this solemn verdict. After seven years, this piece of writing has finally moved beyond its lovely title forever awaiting a punchy addendum. At long last, it has substance. Mine is a no-bullshit book for true, and few books deserve such a lofty praise (see, e.g., “A No-Bullshit Book,” December 16, 2012). In my own experience with books written over the last five-thousand years or so, no more than a score of them fall in the same lofty category. There. Residua for beginners in just a few carefully chosen words.