Customer Reviews

Bundle of Algorithms in C++, Parts 1-5: Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, Searching, and Graph Algorithms (3rd Edition) (Pts. 1-5)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking for an exhaustive, upto-date reference/textbook for
fundamental, searching and sorting algorithms, then this is one of
the very best available.

Sedgewick has split his popular book into two volumes, with Graph
algorithms being hifted to the second volume. Moreover, many advanced
topics like computational geometry, fft, number theoretic algorithms
etc, which were introduced in the previous edition, seem to be missing
now - so the breadth of coverage seems to have reduced, which is a pity.

However, the depth has increased instead - i doubt that even Knuth
covers more sorting algorithms ! In particular, there are several
recent algorithms and data structures which are treated in greater
detail here than by Knuth. Of course, Knuth analyses all the
algorithms he presents in rigorous and exhaustive detail, which
this book doesn't.

Moreover, the book has many new algorithms and presents the state of the
art in sorting and searching algorithms, giving it a distinct advantage
over the older books.

Sedgewick makes it very clear in the preface that the emphasis is on
the practical importance of the algorithms, so esoteric algorithms which
are important 'only in theory' may find no mention. Also the emphasis is
more on the design of algorithms than on their analysis.

The number of (exercise!!) problems has multiplied manifold in this edition
to become more than most competing textbooks. Problems are graded by
difficulty level to help you choose the ones relevant to your needs.

The exposition is clear and authoritative - Prof. Sedgewick is a leading
authority in the field of algorithms and a student of Donald Knuth.
He has a gift for making difficult concepts seem simple, and the great
illustrations in the book go a long way in explaining the behaviour of
the algorithms.

For the practising professional, this is an ideal reference, since it'll
help you select the best algorithm for your task without bogging you
down with heavy mathematics.

The reasearcher, on the other hand, may benefit by gaining unique insights
from a master of the area, while using other books for the detailed
analysis of algorithms, including prehaps Sedgewick's own book on the
analysis of algorithms(with Flajolet).

A caveat - the code may not be 'ready to run'. It's better not to rely
on this book to provide you with usable code - if that is what you want,
perhaps the books by Drozdek/Weiss/Heileman/Rowe might be better choices.

If you want C code rather than C++, then the C version of this book is
a good choice, since the code provided is of 'K & R' class and therefore
a delight to read.

Of course, if you're looking for a language independent coverage,
then 'Introduction to algorithms' by Cormen,Leiserson and Rivest is
possibly the best book which combines rigor with comprehensive coverage
of the most important algorithms. Look out for the newly released
second edition.

And if you want a more rigorous and equally exhaustive coverage of
sorting and searching, go for Knuth vol.3 - still the authoritative
reference, though it may require more hard work on the reader's part.

Otherwise, invest in this and you won't be disappointed.

I can't honestly give less than 3 stars, since this series is one of the best on algorithms I ever had. But, having two editions, including the last one, of "Algorithms in C", by the same author, I thought this C++ version would be a revelation. But it is not! It gives the impression that he just exchanged "printf" for "cout <<"! I thought he would use C++ specific structures to enhance the algorithms (at least that is what I've expected), but it's just another slightly different version of the same book. I wish I knew beforehand... If it's your first book by Sedgewick, though, I guess it's a good option.

Algorithms in C++ Parts 1-4:

After an exhaustive review of nearly every book available on data structures and algorithms (including the seminal "Art of Computer Programming"), and after a considerable reduction in my bank account, I can safely say that this is the best book available on these topics - period.

I rate a book on the basis of how close it comes to being the ONLY book that is needed to completely cover the subject matter. This is actually an almost unattainable goal for an author but this is the test I use. Writing style, clarity of communicating ideas, organization of the material, depth of coverage, practicality, and usability are all crucial elements of that goal and marks a book that will retain its value over time.

This book comes closer to reaching that goal than any other book I've read. I do have a minor complaint about this book and that is the particular coding style that Dr. Sedgewick uses. I am always diligent about writing clear, self-documenting, and visually appealing code whereas Dr. Sedgewick's code is, perhaps from necessity, rather abbreviated. For example, I've always preferred to use meaningful variable names, not just X or Y and am careful to use indentation to improve code readability etc. etc. This is a minor complaint however, and does not affect the usability of the code.

By the way, I do have one other complaint about which I have tried to contact Dr. Sedgewick: WHEN WILL THE SECOND VOLUME BE AVAILABLE!?

If at first you don't succeed...

Sedgewick's first cut at "Algorithms in C++" was a sick joke; the code was often incorrect and very difficult for even an intermediate C programmer to follow. In addition, there was virtually no difference between the C and C++ algorithms. In fact, that's why I put C++ in quotes in the title -- calling it representative C++ code was an extreme stretch.

It took several years, but Sedgewick has fixed that and has turned this work into one which better realizes its full potential. There is now a much stronger C++ and OOP flavor to the examples than there was before.

In summary, whereas I feel the previous version is not worth seriously studying (at least not the examples), this one is extremely solid and worth a spot on the bookshelf for CS students and "real-world" C++ programmers alike.

Call it the ballplayer who atones for his previous strike out by hitting a home run in his next time at bat.

Any professional programmer would benefit from having these books at hand. Excellent discussions of the basic algorithms which every programmer needs to know.

But I would like to particularly highlight the discussions on binary and n-ary search trees. The most enlightening discussion in print, giving the reader a real synoptic view of search tree algorithms, how they evolved, and their culmination in red-black trees.

Other reviewers have mentioned that the algorithms as presented here seem to be just warmed=over versions of their C counterparts presented in the C edition of this work. There is a germ of truth to this, but I really don't consider it to be a valid criticism of the books. The point here is not to present C++ coding techniques, but to understand algorithms. If you want to know what a state-of-the art C++ implementation of Red-Black trees looks like, just read the source code which comes with the GNU compiler toolchain. But you're not going to have a prayer of understanding it until you first understand how Red-black trees work--that's where this book comes in. If you are trying to explain the Red-black tree algorithm, you don't want all of the C++ do-dads and optimizations, templates, etc, all cluttering up the presentation of the skeletal algorithm.

This book delivers what it says on the title and nothing more; Fundamentals, data structures, sorting, and searching. In my opinion, the topics covered in this book are just perfect for beginners. Its not too much and not too little. This book does a very good of explaining the pros and cons of each algorithm, how they're implemented, and when they should be used. As far as Math. goes, this book doesn't deal a whole lot with it. It really is written for programmers.

I purchased this book to refresh my memory on data structures with templates. It is well written in most spots and provides excellent examples. I would recommend this book to any intermediate c++ programmer who wishes to learn/relearn advanced data structures such as Linked Lists,Hash,QuickSort,etc....

This book is full of great information on C++ algorithms. There are many excellent examples, and the author presents the gammit as far as topics. They really open up your mind to possibilities. The reading at times is rough going, though (very dry). Sample code or examples to download may be found at the publisher's website instead of the one printed in the book.

This text is an excellent choice to learn about the data structures most commonly employed in C++. The author breaks down topics in to small well focused chapters that help beginning programmers concentrate on one structure at a time.

The algorithms are treated in a comprehensive manner. Besides the usual sorting and graph techniques many advanced and specialized topics such as file compression and cryptology are discussed.

In sum, it ia a good second book to buy when studying C++.

As a software developer hungry to learn, I find myself sorting through a large number of computer books to find the well-written ones that are worth investing my time and money in. After reading and using Sedgewick's Algorithms in C++, I consider it to clearly be among the best books on this subject. I found the examples to be well-explained and easy to understand, with lots of practical source code ready to use in your programs. I look forward to reading the upcoming Java version as well.