What are some comprehensive precalc books that are quick reads and don't bog the reader down with too many mechanical exercises? Is Lang's _Basic Mathematics_ suitable?

I also wouldn't mind something -- perhaps from the 19th century even -- that helps build raw technique with algebraic manipulations. I aced algebra in high school, but one thing I noticed is that my manipulations, while correct, weren't always the most economical or elegant approaches. For this kind of algebraic sideline, I don't mind a separate book with a lot mechanical exercises, provided of course that they're carefully designed to develop raw technique.