Actually useful algebra (Actually useful books)

For those of us who:
* hated mathematics by the time we left school (even if we loved it at some point before that)
* need to learn some algebra for a job, or for study
* don’t have a lot of time
* aren’t really interested in the history of algebra, or stories of famous mathematicians, and aren’t ready to be convinced that algebra is fun
Just what you need. No more, no less.