Introduction to Graph Theory (2nd Edition) [Hardcover]

Douglas B. West (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130144002 | ISBN-13: 978-0130144003 | Publication Date: September 1, 2000 | Edition: 2

This book fills a need for a thorough introduction to graph theory that features both the understanding and writing of proofs about graphs. Verification that algorithms work is emphasized more than their complexity. An effective use of examples, and huge number of interesting exercises, demonstrate the topics of trees and distance, matchings and factors, connectivity and paths, graph coloring, edges and cycles, and planar graphs. For those who need to learn to make coherent arguments in the fields of mathematics and computer science.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This text offers the most comprehensive and up–to–date presentation available of the fundamental topics in graph theory. It develops a thorough understanding of the structure of graphs and the techniques used to analyze problems in graph theory. It includes basic graph algorithms and particularly thought-provoking exercises. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

This book fills a need for a thorough introduction to graph theory that features both the understanding and writing of proofs about graphs. Verification that algorithms work is emphasized more than their complexity. An effective use of examples, and huge number of interesting exercises, demonstrate the topics of trees and distance, matchings and factors, connectivity and paths, graph coloring, edges and cycles, and planar graphs. For those who need to learn to make coherent arguments in the fields of mathematics and computer science.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 470 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 2 edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130144002
• ISBN-13: 978-0130144003
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, March 2, 2004

By 

David Diez (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Graph Theory (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

Level of the book: 3rd-4th year undergrad or 1st-2nd year grad (pretty big range).

Don't let other reviews fool you. This book does an excellent job covering the material at hand, especially given the task West set out to achieve. The book basically stands alone thanks to thorough appendices and a fair amount of examples, plus lots of problems (mostly proofs). Because this material is proof-based, I cannot suggest that this book could stand alone, but that someone else should review problems and such.

When I first was reading this book, I ignored the appendices, and that was my downfall. Once I started using all the tools in this book, things started coming together. Because of the intricate design, I would recommend this book only to people who are serious about a thorough introduction to graph theory. That is, actually proving many of the theorems that play a central role in this introduction. For a simple introduction to concepts, I would recommend Trudeau's book, "Introduction to Graph Theory," which is a good read and introduces a few of the ideas and definitions of graph theory, but does not focus on proofs.

My only major quarrel with this book is that it is completely void of color! This would be EXTREMELY useful in this book because many of the diagrams are complicated and different color labels would make things much clearer (instead of bolding lines and such). The increased price of the book would certainly be worth the clarity from color. There are also some typos throughout the book, but none too major (that have been noticed).

Overall, I would highly recommend this book over any other, but consider waiting until an edition with color comes out.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Graph lovers' book, May 25, 2005

By 

JVB - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Graph Theory (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

West is enthusiastic about graph theory. I do not recommend this book for independent study, nor would I recommend it for a first-time student of graph theory. It is called "Introduction to Graph Theory", not because it is an appropriate introductory text for new students, but because it covers a broad area of the subject. I recommend it for a student who has read at least one lower-level introductory text and would like to round out their knowledge of graph theory in a more in-depth way.
I have two problems with this book. They both stem from the fact that it reads more like a collection of journal articles than like a cohesive text book. One is that his notation is very specific--he does not always use the most common form of notation, and this means that dipping into the book is difficult. The second problem for me is that West defines many things that I do not feel need defining. Rather than using a short description of a certain type of graph whenever he refers to it, he will give it a label. Again, this makes dipping into his text rather difficult, especially since many of the things he defines are not generally given a definition. Both of these would be perfectly reasonable for a journal article, but seem rather out of place in a large textbook--his definitions particularly clutter up his work. Perhaps West is more used to writing papers than textbooks.
Having said that, West is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. His exercises are wonderful, marked with a (-) for easy, a (+) for difficult, a (!) for particularly instructive, and a (*) for problems based on optional material. Several of the (!) problems I have worked required me to actually look up the paper that they are based on for the final solution--which is possible due to his excellent citations. His index of works cited is an education in itself, and any student wishing to pursue a specific area in greater depth will find his book an wonderful gateway.

My perspective: I am an undergraduate student doing summer research in graph theory, working under a professor.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good middling book, October 10, 2005

By 

Jeffrey D. Younger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to Graph Theory (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

The treatment is logically rigorous and impeccably arranged, yet, ironically, this book suffers from its best feature: it is comprehensive. As a book becomes more encyclopedic, it becomes less useful for pedagogy. Introduction to Graph Theory is somewhere in the middle. It is an adequate reference work and an adequate textbook. Steering a middle course, the book is bound to dissatisfy people with specific needs, but readers needing both a reference and a text will find the book satisfying.

If you buy it for pedagogical purposes, be prepared to consult other works for a more intuitive approach. Introduction to Graph Theory presents few models, relying instead on logically rigorous development. Personally, I'm for both, but that takes up space, meaning less material can be covered.

I'm glad I bought the book, and I will keep it for a future reference.