
Ask HN: Has anyone read Introduction to Algorithms? - jwdunne
Maybe I don&#x27;t have the prerequisite knowledge or brain power but find this book:<p>a) routinely recommended
b) quite dense and difficult despite having a touch more than 0 knowledge on algorithms<p>Am I dumb or missing something?
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chadcmulligan
I wouldn't say it's a book I'd sit down and read cover to cover. I recall
reading the first few chapters, then just bouncing around the algorithms. It
was also the reference book for an algorithm course I did. If you're finding
it hard going then maybe go to a course, or lookup some youtube classes.

Edit: this may help "What is the best online data structure and algorithm
MOOC/course in C/C++?" [https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-online-data-
structure...](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-online-data-structure-
and-algorithm-MOOC-course-in-C-C++)

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jwdunne
Thanks for your suggestion :) I'll check it out. I tend to focus more on books
so maybe I should give a course a go.

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d-crane
I just finished my undergrad CS algorithms course, and my professor mentioned
this book, but we didn't use it. He essentially said that it contains so much
material that it's rather all-encompassing as a reference book, but he
definitely discouraged it as a textbook for learning as we would in a course.
It sounds like you'd likely want to find something more geared towards
teaching.

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jwdunne
Thank you :) that's reassuring. What do you recommend?

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d-crane
Well, our text for the course was Levitin's Design and Analysis of Algorithms,
but I really can't speak to its quality at all - we just used the professor's
own prepared information pretty much exclusively. From my brief look through
the book, it looked okay, at least!

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brudgers
It is a textbook. Typically, students don't read text books cover to cover
(and often read very little or none). Instead, they perhaps read some of the
few sections that are listed in the syllabus and follow the lectures and do
the homework because that's usually what's on the test.

Outside academia those things are not an option and part of what makes a good
book is that it can be read and reread over a long period of time and still be
relevant.

One of my favorite essays:

[http://norvig.com/21-days.html](http://norvig.com/21-days.html)

