Art of Computer Programming, The, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set (2nd Edition) (Vol 1-3) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Knuth's multivolume work, widely recognized as the definitive description of classical computer science, is now available in an attractive, boxed set. The three volumes included in this set have each been revised recently to reflect developments in the field. As earlier editions clearly demonstrated, they comprise an invaluable resource in programming theory and practice for students, researchers, and practitioners alike. Countless readers have spoken about the profound personal influence of Knuth's work. Scientists have marveled at the beauty and elegance of his analysis, while ordinary programmers have successfully applied his "cookbook" solutions to their day-to-day problems. All have admired Knuth for the breadth, clarity, accuracy, and good humor found in his books.

See descriptions of each individual volume for more information.

From the Inside Flap

"The bible of all fundamental algorithms and the work that taught many of today's software developers most of what they know about computer programming."-- Byte, Sept 1995

"If you think you're a really good programmer,...read [Knuth's] Art of Computer Programming....You should definitely send me a resume if you can read the whole thing." -- Bill Gates

This Knuth set is perfect for your own reference bookshelf, and makes an ideal gift for any serious student or practitioner of computer programming.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 896 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 2 edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201485419
• ISBN-13: 978-0201485417
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 4.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

192 of 201 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive, June 15, 1999

By A Customer

As Knuth himself says, it is impossible for any one person to keep up with all the research in computer science, but these 3 volumes do a remarkably good job of distilling the most important results and explaining them with mathematical rigor.

Each volume contains 2 chapters. Ch. 1, Basic Concepts: mathematical foundations and a description of MIX, a hypothetical machine (now available in software emulations). Ch. 2, Information Structures: lists, trees, memory allocation, garbage collection. Ch. 3, Random Numbers: how to produce series of "random" numbers and test their statistical properties. Ch. 4, Arithmetic: algorithms for integer and floating-point arithmetic. Ch. 5, Sorting: both in memory and on disks or tapes. Ch. 6, Searching: sequential, binary, hashing.

Despite the detailed coverage of the topics, which often involves esoteric mathematical notation, the author's lively style makes the algorithms and the main theoretical results relatively easy to grasp. If all you care about is getting a program to run, buy another book; but if you really want to understand how and why software works, there's nothing quite like this.

122 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, for certain people!, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

These books are indisputably classics of the field, and like all classics they have religious adherents and equally firm detractors. The key difference between the two groups is that the adherents are interested in computer SCIENCE, whereas the rest are more taken with computer programming. The books are well written, quite mathematical, and abstract. The books deal with the core subjects of computer science and shy away from the trendy, and so some people tend to see them as anachronistic. Nevertheless, they are deservedly core references in computer science, and a joy for any patient, theoretically minded reader. There are three points I believe should be made. 1) a lot of the detractors of the books are saying correct things: the books don't deal with hot topics, they do present things in greater detail than is necessary in day to day programming, they are books they require a lot of the reader. What they don't recognize is that this is the intention, and that there is nothing wrong with that. The book is targeted at those with a geniune interest in theoretical computer science. 2) many reviewers complain about Knuth's typesetting system, TeX. What they fail to recognize is that TeX is incredibly useful, and about as user friendly as could be expected, for the task for which it was designed: typesetting professional quality mathematics. Anyone who challenges this statement would have to contend with virtually the entire community of people who write papers using higher mathematics, including virtually all professional physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists. 3) some people accuse Knuth's books of being poorly written. These people are ignorant: either they have not read the works, or they would not recognize skillful writing if they saw it. These books are splendid examples of scientific writing, and are justifiably acclaimed as such. In short, Knuth's books have ensured that the word "science" deserves its place in the phrase "computer science"

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive but Daunting, January 18, 2003

By	Jason (Illinios) - See all my reviews

It is with good reason that these books are so well-respected in the field. These books have enough depth for several years of careful study and will be quite rewarding for anyone who takes the time. Still, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before jumping in:

(1) These books are not for the mathematically weak-at-heart. The first section, of over 100 pages, is on mathematical preliminaries. While it is true that there are many later sections that can be understood without this background, to truly get the most from these books will take some mathematical maturity,

(2) The algorithms and programs in the book will be difficult to understand to the modern reader, since they are written in an unstructured (i.e. GOTO-centric) style. Program code is given in assembly language for a fictional computer called MIX. Knuth may have his reasons for sticking with this form, but the reader should be aware that some extra work will be required to follow along.

Aside from these caveats, these books come highly recommended.