Customer Reviews

Graphs & Digraphs, Third Edition

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This was the one book assigned for a class where I did NOT have to go out and buy a few other books in order to round out the assigned text. Chartrand has written books on graph theory directed at students of many different levels, and this one is advanced -- but the keynote attribute of this book its thoroughness and accuracy. The proofs depend upon appropriate use of accurate definitions, and here the definitions are VERY clear and specific -- therefore in constructing the proofs in the exercises the student really comes to understand the meaning of the definitions and the concepts they describe. At first I thought this book was going to be unapproachable because it does not kill you with friendly banter, but I have come to appreciate its solid approach and trustworthiness not to lead anyone astray mathematically. By the way, graph theory is really fun. Don't pass us the chance to study it!

While I won't argue that the book is thorough and professional, I find it lacking enough examples to let me comprehensively understand the material. In many books, the author will introduce a concept and then give examples to cement the application of these concepts within the chapter text and/or figures. Chartrand and Lesniak use such examples very sparingly, and often for the more mundane concepts that need no additional illustration. In the first few chapters, where a great amount of terminology is introduced, these examples would have been extremely useful to ensure that the reader has a firm grasp on the basics. Instead, I found myself confused in later chapters because I had misunderstood one of the more fundamental concepts. I rarely, if ever, have this problem with a book includes sufficient examples.

While those more versed in graph theory might prefer a book with less example "fluff", someone just getting into the topic really should look elsewhere to ensure themselves a more stable and confident foundation.