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Sedgewick and Kleinberg are both solid introductory books that are well-suited for someone with little CS knowledge. The Algorithm Design Manual is a great book

by apstls 11y ago

Sedgewick and Kleinberg are both solid introductory books that are well-suited for someone with little CS knowledge. The Algorithm Design Manual is a great book, but seems to focus more on giving a tour of different problem types and their associated algorithms than developing a deeper understanding of the theory behind it all. Cormen's book is fantastic and very thorough, but may be a bit harder to soak in for a beginner. Finally, while TAOCP could probably be considered the most revered texts on CS, they are not well-suited for a beginner trying to get their feet wet. All in all, I'd say Sedgewick is the best of these options.

learnerburner 11y ago
Are Sedgewick and Kleinberg on the same level? So if I do one can I skip the other and move to say Algorithm Design Manual or CLRS? From your comment it seems Knuth's book(s) to be the last (and for the mastery.
- apstls 11y ago
  They're on roughly the same level but focus on somewhat different things. Sedgewick spends a lot of time on basic data structures like hash maps and search trees, as well as elementary algorithms like search and sorting, in great detail. Kleinberg instead approaches things more generally by tackling concepts by design technique - greedy, divide-and-conquer, dynamic, etc - and doesn't focus as much on the very basics. Kleinberg also spends a lot more time on more advanced topics like NP completeness, randomized algorithms, etc, while Sedgewick again keeps his focus on the more elementary topics. CLRS contains pretty much everything contained in both Kleinberg and Sedgwick, so the two are essentially interchangeable in the sense that Kleinberg+CLRS contains roughly the same breadth of information as Sedgewick+CLRS. Since Sedgewick takes more time to explain the basics thoroughly, I'd say it's probably your best starting point. Good luck!
deeptruth 11y ago
Completely agree with OP. Although I'd personally recommend Kleinberg's book. I feel that it has a better narrative and is very well written IMO.
emmanueloga_ 11y ago
+1 on Sedgewick. Also added some "light reviews" on another comment.

by apstls 11y ago

learnerburner 11y ago

Are Sedgewick and Kleinberg on the same level? So if I do one can I skip the other and move to say Algorithm Design Manual or CLRS? From your comment it seems Knuth's book(s) to be the last (and for the mastery.

apstls 11y ago
They're on roughly the same level but focus on somewhat different things. Sedgewick spends a lot of time on basic data structures like hash maps and search trees, as well as elementary algorithms like search and sorting, in great detail. Kleinberg instead approaches things more generally by tackling concepts by design technique - greedy, divide-and-conquer, dynamic, etc - and doesn't focus as much on the very basics. Kleinberg also spends a lot more time on more advanced topics like NP completeness, randomized algorithms, etc, while Sedgewick again keeps his focus on the more elementary topics. CLRS contains pretty much everything contained in both Kleinberg and Sedgwick, so the two are essentially interchangeable in the sense that Kleinberg+CLRS contains roughly the same breadth of information as Sedgewick+CLRS. Since Sedgewick takes more time to explain the basics thoroughly, I'd say it's probably your best starting point. Good luck!

deeptruth 11y ago

Completely agree with OP. Although I'd personally recommend Kleinberg's book. I feel that it has a better narrative and is very well written IMO.

emmanueloga_ 11y ago

+1 on Sedgewick. Also added some "light reviews" on another comment.