Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach With C [Hardcover]

Richard F. Gilberg (Author), Behrouz A. Forouzan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534951236 | ISBN-13: 978-0534951238 | Publication Date: March 11, 1998 | Edition: 1

Gilberg and Forouzan's language-independent data structures text enables students to first design algorithms using Pseudocode, and then build them using the C programming language. Written at a level that makes it easy for students to understand, the book de-emphasizes mathematical rigor and provides a practical approach to data structures.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard F. Gilberg is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at De Anza College.

Behrouz A. Forouzan is Professor of Computer Science at De Anza College.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology; 1 edition (March 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534951236
• ISBN-13: 978-0534951238
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,496,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A bad book!, October 27, 2006

By 

Mohammed Omraan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach with C (Hardcover)

I am an instructor and I have used this book for the data structure course based on the recommendation of the department. After a few weeks I decided to replace it by Horowitz's "Fundamentals of Data structures in C". Really Gilberg's book is too bad. It make the subject too complicated. For example, it explains "stack" in 60+ pages long chapter! Really it gives the reader the impression that stack is a complex subject. In a nutshell, avoid this book! Go for Horowitz's book. It is more concise and easier to read.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not pay for this book, September 21, 2003

By 

"davun" (NEW YORK, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach with C++ (Hardcover)

I had to buy this book for a computer science course. Thankfully I got a refund on it when I tested out of the course two weeks later. For those who are forced to learn the contents of this book, here is what to expect, as I read the entire book.

Since I was already very familiar with most concepts ( ie. actually programmed them ), I have to say that no book has made me more confused or angry than this one. Ideas that are simple are obscured with inappropriate examples / wordings, so I actually had to read many paragraphs TWICE, to get the point of the author. Even the pictures are far from refined, and the presentation is quite amateur. There were several times I just wanted to throw the book at the wall in disgust.

As a first (and unbelievable) example, from page 2 you are given the "Commandments" of good Pseudocode. One such rule is never to use identifiers such as 'i' or 'j', as they should instead be given an 'english' name such as 'student'. On page 6, we have the first code example, where they proceed to use 'i' and 'j' within the code. Then they explain that, oh yes, 'i' and 'j' is actually a loop tradition in C++! So we're already confused! By page 6. Now, the beautiful thing is that you can read this for yourself right now, with Amazon's page excerpts. This sets the level of presentation for the rest of the book.

My apologies to those who may like this book, but please take time to explore other books before this one. Programming is far easier than is explained in this book. At this level of programming development, a bad experience can be most discouraging. And this book is very, very bad.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pseudo-Code? Not!!!, October 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach with C++ (Hardcover)

In order to understand the book, one must understand the author. Gilberg is the type of professor that concerns himself more with flowcharts and whether students staple assignments properly. The book was originally riddled with algorithmic mistakes that were not obvious because, guess what? You cannot compile pseudo-code.

The author seems to come from the school of thought that places importance on theory over practice. Is it no surprise that the C++ portions (from the helper site) are no more than converted C code with couts? In today's market, you have to write code, not pseudo-code. You have to compete in a global market. This fossilized notion of pseudo-code not only hides the fact that possibly the lazy professors couldn't write code to save their lives, but also is a disservice to students who WANT to not only learn data structures in the context of MODERN engineering practices, but also want to know how to IMPLEMENT data structures - be it C++, C#, Java - as well.

I'll wrap up with a final word for students and professors:
- Professors: Please don't torture your students with this book.
- Students: If your professor uses this book... Run!!