Introduction to Algorithms

Yes, it’s a textbook, albeit a particularly well-written one. You may already have it on your shelf, if you’ve taken a programming class or two.

I’m way too old to have used CLRS as a textbook, though! For me, it’s an effectively bottomless collection of neat little ideas—an easy-to-describe problem, then a series of increasingly clever ways to solve that problem. How often do I end up using one of those algorithms? Not very often! But every time I read the description of an algorithm, I get a nugget of pure joy from the “aha” moment when I first understand… show more.

One of my long-time software passions is the study of algorithms, so I have a lot of algorithms books on my shelves.

I have books about general algorithms, graphics, image processing, distributed systems, artificial intelligence, robotics, chaos theory, NP-hard problems (because I like a challenge), and fractals (because they’re pretty).

I honestly can’t pick one and say, “This is the one you should read,” because they all have something to offer, but I will say that Introduction to Algorithms is a good place to start.

It explains Big-O notation (which is essential to really understanding algorithms) and covers a nice… show more.

With over one million copies sold this may be the most popular computer science book in the world. This bedrock of computer science education is both a definitive textbook and reference book and is a must-have for anyone in the field of computer science. This latest edition is significantly updated and includes color throughout the text.