The Algorithm Design Manual
Steven S. Skiena
43 people recommended it in 20 threads, 2011–2023.
9 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
I don't have a CS degree so it helps to see problems classified into "this or that problem can be approached with X algo"; some of this stuff I've worked through already but now I have a name for a lot of these things.
Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual and Sedewick/Wayne's Algorithms. Most people do algorithms in school. I learned about it while I was already writing programs for money all day, which means it deeply impacted the way I think about my work.
I loved The Algorithm Design Manual. Used it for my class as well as preparing for technical interviews.
CS wise I think Skienas algorithm design manual is the best.
The Algorithm Design Manual by Skiena and Algorims by Sedgewick and Wayne helped me start to understand the "CS" side of programming.
I also like Skiena's book a lot (and his lectures are available online and quite good).
The algorithm design manual, Skiena. Friendly, informal, heuristic, insightful. Sloppy, handwavy, gappily incomplete.
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