Introduction to Algorithms

Introduction to Algorithms
Cover of the fourth edition
AuthorThomas H. Cormen
Charles E. Leiserson
Ronald L. Rivest
Clifford Stein
LanguageEnglish
SubjectComputer algorithms
PublisherMIT Press
Publication date
1990 (first edition)
Publication placeUnited States
Pages1312
ISBN978-0-262-04630-5

Introduction to Algorithms is a book on computer programming by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein. The book is described by its publisher as "the leading algorithms text in universities worldwide as well as the standard reference for professionals".[1] It is commonly cited as a reference for algorithms in published papers, with over 10,000 citations documented on CiteSeerX,[2] and over 67,000 citations on Google Scholar as of 2023.[3] The book sold half a million copies during its first 20 years,[4] and surpassed a million copies sold in 2022.[5] Its fame has led to the common use of the abbreviation "CLRS" (Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein), or, in the first edition, "CLR" (Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest).[6]

In the preface, the authors write about how the book was written to be comprehensive and useful in both teaching and professional environments. Each chapter focuses on an algorithm, and discusses its design techniques and areas of application. Instead of using a specific programming language, the algorithms are written in pseudocode. The descriptions focus on the aspects of the algorithm itself, its mathematical properties, and emphasize efficiency.[7]

  1. ^ "Introduction to Algorithms, fourth edition". MIT Press. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  2. ^ "Introduction to Algorithms—CiteSeerX citation query". CiteSeerX. The College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  3. ^ "Introduction to Algorithms". Google Scholar. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  4. ^ Larry Hardesty (August 10, 2011). "Milestone for MIT Press's bestseller". MIT News Office. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  5. ^ Jane Halpern (February 23, 2022). "Q&A: What makes a bestselling textbook?". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Eternally Confuzzled - Red/Black Trees". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
  7. ^ Cormen; Leiserson; Riverst; Stein (2009). "Preface". Introduction to Algorithms (3 ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. xiii–xiv. ISBN 978-0-262-03384-8.