The Algorithm Design Manual: Amazon.ca: Steve S. Skiena: Books

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"...the book is an algorithm implementation treasure trove, and putting all of these implementations in one place was no small feat. The list of implementations, an extensive bibliography, and the CD-ROM make the book an invaluable resource for everyone interested in the subject." --ACM Computing Reviews

Book Description

This volume helps take some of the "mystery" out of identifying and dealing with key algorithms. Drawing heavily on the author's own real-world experiences, the book stresses design and analysis. Coverage is divided into two parts, the first being a general guide to techniques for the design and analysis of computer algorithms. The second is a reference section, which includes a catalog of the 75 most important algorithmic problems. By browsing this catalog, readers can quickly identify what the problem they have encountered is called, what is known about it, and how they should proceed if they need to solve it. This book is ideal for the working professional who uses algorithms on a daily basis and has need for a handy reference. This work can also readily be used in an upper-division course or as a student reference guide. THE ALGORITHM DESIGN MANUAL comes with a CD-ROM that contains: * a complete hypertext version of the full printed book. * the source code and URLs for all cited implementations. * over 30 hours of audio lectures on the design and analysis of algorithms are provided, all keyed to on-line lecture notes.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
What is an algorithm? Read the first page

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Concordance

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(18)
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3 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers an Important Middle Ground, Mar 6 2003

By

Jason (Illinios) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Algorithm Design Manual (Hardcover)

This book fills a nice niche -- it is practical enough to be useful and accesible to professional programmers (rather than algorithms researchers or academics) but is build on solid theory as well.

Aside from this, the book has several features to recommend it:
(1) There are "war stories" scattered throughout the text. These are special sections that describe the author's experience working with algorithmic problems "in the field". These are particularly interesting because the present false starts and failures along the way to the final solution. This is a nice change from the standard model of simply presenting algorithms and proving them correct.

(2) Unlike others, such as the popular Cormen, Lieserson, Rivest and Stein text -- which is a bit advanced for beginning study -- this really is an introduction to algorithms. It is quite suitable for, say, undergradutes who have taken a couple of basic CS courses.

(3) Chapter 8 is a 250-page "Catalog of Algorithmic Problems". Here, you will find descriptions of hundreds of standard formulations for algorithmic problems along with the basic solution approaches, and -- this is what really sets it apart -- pointers to implementations of these algorithms. This is part of the overall emphasis of the book: that of understanding standard algorithms in order to avoid "reinventing the wheel".

Overall, I recommend this book for people with some programming experience that would like to take their work to the next level. Hardcore computer scientists (especially those with a more theoretical bent) may also benefit from this book, but should consider it a supplement to one of the more advanced texts, such as the above-mentioned CLRS.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but sloppily written, Oct 25 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Algorithm Design Manual (Hardcover)

This is a good attempt at an algorithm design manual, but from my perspective (as a professor of mathematics working in combinatorics and combinatorial optimization) the writing is simply not precise enough. I'm not saying the book is too "chatty" or "informal". A technical book can be either or both while imparting its content in a clear and unambiguous fashion. I compliment the author on the idea for this book, which I think fills a gap and is at about the right level. However, if a second edition is printed (and I hope it will be), the author should read every (technical) sentence of his text and ask the question "Am I saying exactly what I mean to say?". Unfortunately, despite knowing more often than not what the author _intends_ to say, often I have trouble convincing myself that this is what is actually said.

That having been said: this is a good reference and provides a good "meta-overview" of the basics of algorithms. The Catalog of Algorithmic Problems is a particularly useful tool for quickly locating problems that might be similar to one under consideration and determining (as of 5 years ago, anyway) the approximate state of the art.

I recommend this book, but not unreservedly.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A very practical reference in designing algorithm, Oct 15 2003

By

Andy Cheung (Thornhill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Algorithm Design Manual (Hardcover)

Nice to have this book handy if you need to design efficient algorithms for your programs. This is more of a reference than to teach you what algorithms are out there, so you better know them before using this book. That said, this book is quite unique since it differs from a typical algorithm book on the market. Skiena has done a great job in presenting the material. I find this book really handy, definately recommanded.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book But Very Theoretical
I hate to give this book only 3 stars, since it is obviously so well done. But it is not a book for everyone. If you are at the advanced level, you will treasure this one. Read more

Published on May 30 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for picking algorithms
This is a great book on the design of algorithms, emphasizing design over analysis. With perhaps 1/4 of mainframe machine cycles spent sorting, this is an important topic. Read more

Published on April 30 2002 by Gary Sprandel

5.0 out of 5 stars good book
Awesome book! Apart from the good collection of algorithms, it also teaches you where/how you can apply these algorithms in "daily life" with a section on 'war stories'... Read more

Published on April 29 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Great theory book
If you want all the theory (without most of the heavy math) this is the place to go. If you're looking to implement something and you're looking for some direction, DO NOT look... Read more

Published on Mar 31 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars The worest!
This is the worest textbook that i hae ever seen! Do not apend ur money on it.

Published on Nov 17 2001 by dsfdsf

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful
I have bought this book for "on the job" use and it is coming in very handy. We had a confusing problem concerning a matrix and the solution was here with examples. Read more

Published on Nov 15 2001 by John M. Harby

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful resource!
In my line of work I am, many times, in need of some algorithm or resource to do some job. Sure I learned many during my B.Sc. Read more

Published on Oct 2 2001 by Shlomo Yona

5.0 out of 5 stars The Algorithm Design Manual
I haven't got time to read the whole book, but I read the chapter on dynamic programming. The writing on dynamic programming is clear and is the best I ever read.

Published on Sep 21 2001 by H. Wang

5.0 out of 5 stars I like this book
I like this book.

It covers a field of fundamentals of computer algorithms. The book explains basic programming mathods, such as dynamic programmind, devide and conquer,... Read more

Published on May 28 2001 by Alen Lovrencic

5.0 out of 5 stars You will love it!
Apart from beeing really useful, this book has two more interesting characteristics: 1. it is very readable 2. it is very amusing/interesting at times. Read more

Published on Mar 20 2001 by Nikos Kanellopoulos