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CHOICE Review

Since D.E. Knuth's epic Art of Computer Programming (2nd ed., 1973), the systematic study of the design of efficient algorithms, or what Brassard and Bratley call "algorithmics," has become part of the core of computer science. This text (reworked from an earlier French edition) is based on courses given at Universite de Montreal and University of California, Berkeley. It is suitable for mathematically sophisticated undergraduates or beginning graduate students, and is designed for independent study. The algorithms studied are primarily the "classics," similar to those in other standard books in the field, such as A.V. Aho, J.E. Hopcroft, and J.D. Ullman, The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms (CH, Mar '75), or S. Baase, Computer Algorithms (2nd ed., 1987; 1st ed., CH, Jun '79). Topics unique to this book include examples from cryptography, a chapter on probabilistic algorithms, and an improved approach to asymptotic notation. The main difference between this and other current texts is its organization by algorithmic technique rather than by problem area. Also, many results are stated as problems integrated into the text (without solutions), making the book more useful for study than as a reference. Recommended for undergraduate libraries for its many interesting problems, and its extensive, up-to-date bibliography. -D. S. Franzblau, Vassar College