Understanding algorithms and how to analyze them will make you a better programmer. Should you memorize every algorithm and clever trick that others have come

Understanding algorithms and how to analyze them will make you a better programmer. Should you memorize every algorithm and clever trick that others have come up with? I haven't. However knowing that there are different approaches with various space/time trade offs gives me options to consider when coding something up. It also helps make me aware of the pitfalls of doing things a certain way. Could I whip up a tree balancing routine on a whiteboard on command? No! But, I'm aware that such algorithms exist and what situation I'd need to apply them to. I think this is what you should shoot for. As for Algorithms in a Nutshell, if it is the book I'm thinking of then bravo. I like how the authors chose to present the algorithms using code and not the awful psuedo-code found in most algorithms texts.