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Elementary Lessons in Logic: Deductive and Inductive

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Jevons has succeeded in writing a great introduction to logic. With that being said, Elementary Lessons in Logic is not an easy book to read. It requires a lot of discipline to get through. However, if properly studied, this book will be highly rewarding and well worth your effort.

Jevons starts with the very basics by defining what logic is: "Logic is the Science of Reasoning, or the Science of those necessary Laws of Thought which must be observed if we are to argue consistently with ourselves and avoid self-contradiction" (p. 9). He then goes on to cover all the various topics (terms, proportions, induction, etc.) that are necessary to obtain a basic comprehension of logic.

If completely unfamiliar with logic as a theory, perhaps read Thinking as Science by Henry Hazlitt, which can give you a good foundation to build upon. For further reading, also recommended is John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, and Thinking for Oneself by Arthur Schopenhauer.

In short, this book is highly recommended. The only fault in my view is the exercises at the end of the book, which I found to be not very useful.