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Algorithms in C++ by Robert Sedgewick Highly Recommended

ISBN: 0-201-51059-6       Publisher: Addison-Wesley       Pages: 658pp       Price: £24-95

Categories:   algorithms

Reviewed by Dave Rutlidge in C Vu 5-1 (Nov 1992)

The authors style is clear and concise. He uses mathematics where it is necessary, but frequently presents results without rigourous proof to avoid clouding the issues involved. The examples presented are very much skeletal, and are in no way intended to form part of a final application. They do, however, help clarify the points made, and they do work (indeed, many of the diagrams in the book were produced using the example code). There is no accompanying disk.

While the book attempts to provide real-world solutions to real-world problems, it does so in a way which is fun to read. The reader is always encouraged to try to implement the algorithms being considered, and to test the variations and refinements presented.

Overall I consider this to be an excellent book. The author clearly knows his subject, and presents it with an infectious enthusiasm. If I was shopping for a book on algorithms, this is the one I would buy.