Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours [Paperback]

Robert Lafore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999 | Series: Sams Teach Yourself...in 24 Hours

Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours presents data structures and algorithms in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand style, allowing you to grasp the concepts quickly and apply the knowledge to your programs. The very popular C++ programming language is used for examples and code samples.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours presents data structures and algorithms in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand style, allowing you to grasp the concepts quickly and apply the knowledge to your programs. The very popular C++ programming language is used for examples and code samples.

About the Author

Robert Lafore has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, has worked as a systems analyst for the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, founded his own software company, and is a best-selling writer in the field of computer programming. Some of his current titles are C++ Interactive Course, Object-Oriented Programming in C++, and C Programming Using Turbo C++. Earlier best-selling titles include Assembly Language Primer for the IBM PC and XT, and (back at the beginning of the computer revolution) Soul of CP/M.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Sams (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672316331
• ISBN-13: 978-0672316333
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Algorithms > Data Structures

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price, but not complete, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours (Paperback)

I have several other books on data structures, and algorithms. This one presents the subjects in a very straightforward, and understandable manner, but is targeted at beginners (and says so). It doesn't cover the subjects in much detail, but is sufficient to give the reader a pretty good understanding of the subjects presented.

Some of the workshop applets don't work very well, and there is no source code available for them so as to allow the reader to fix them. They are also very slow in loading, probably due to the fact that they are Java applets.

The book omits some fairly basic infomation- for example, it mentions that Trees are a form of a more general family of structures called graphs, but doesn't explain what these are. Trees are some of the most widely used data structures, and any good programmer needs a complete understanding of them. The book presents several different kinds of trees, complete with C++ code, but admits that deleting nodes is complicated and beyond the scope of the book. No code is presented for the reader to understand how complicated the operation is, or how to accomplish it. Without this information, the programmer probably can't use trees. All of my other books on the subject contain this information.

If you're looking for a book on the Standard Template Library, this isn't it. The author says that the reader will have a better understanding of the STLs workings and applications for having the information contained in the book, and that's true.

I would recommend this book for a beginning programmer looking for an overview of what some common data structures and alogirthms are, but not one who wants a book to get his hands dirty and experiment with them. It's by far the lowest priced programming-related book I've purchased in years (but that's not reason enough to buy it).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interactive!, November 3, 2001

By 

Batara Kesuma (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours (Paperback)

I bought 'Introduction to Algorithm' by Thomas Cormen, and could't understand anything in it. So I looked for easier book, and bought this one. This book use OOP concept to describe the data structures and algorithm. I found all the explanation very clear. It teaches you basic knowledge about algorithm before you move to more advanced books. I also found that the java applets (included on CD with the book) they used to describe the algorithm theory were very helpful. It was just like having a private teacher explaining them for you.

I admit that it is not very complete, like it explains Red-Black Tree but there is no source code, and also no source code for deletion on Binary Tree, you have to get a more advanced book for those. But this book has done its job very well!

If you are majoring computer science, and can't get your teacher explanation about basic algorithms and data structures (ex. Big-Oh notation, quicksort, etc), GET THIS BOOK!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of Data Structures and Algorithms, January 30, 2003

By 

Imad A. Abdelbaki (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Data Structures and Algorithms in 24 Hours (Paperback)

As always, Robert Lafore has written a book which is always to be kept in one's library. This book has two qualities; 1) written by Robert Lafore, and 2) published by SAMS.

The best quality of Robert Lafore is that he answers the questions exactly the same time when they are rising in your mind.

SAMS has a history of publishing books for novices, making them experts.