Art of Computer Programming ─ Combinatorial Algorithms

This first volume begins with basic programming concepts and techniques, then focuses on information structures---the representation of information inside a computer, the structural relationships between data elements and how to deal with them efficiently. Elementary applications are given to simulation, numerical methods, symbolic computing, software and system design.

The second volume offers a complete introduction to the field of seminumerical algorithms, with separate chapters on random numbers and arithmetic. The book summarizes the major paradigms and basic theory of such algorithms, thereby providing a comprehensive interface between computer programming and numerical analysis.

The third volume comprises the most comprehensive survey of classical computer techniques for sorting and searching. It extends the treatment of data structures in Volume I to consider both large and small databases and internal and external memories.

This volume introduces techniques that allow computers to deal efficiently with gigantic problems. Its coverage begins with Boolean functions and bitwise tricks and techniques, then treats in depth the generation of all tuples and permutations, all combinations and partitions, and all trees.

Donald E. Knuth is known throughout the world for his pioneering work on algorithms and programming techniques, for his invention of the TEX and METAFONT systems for computer typesetting, and for his prolific and influential writing (26 books, 161 papers). Professor Emeritus of The Art of Computer Programming at Stanford University, he currently devotes full time to the completion of his seminal multi-volume series on classical computer science, begun in 1962 when he was a graduate student at California Institute of Technology. Professor Knuth is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the ACM Turing Award, the Medal of Science presented by President Carter, the AMS Steele Prize for expository writing, and, in November, 1996, the prestigious Kyoto Prize for advanced technology. He lives on the Stanford campus with his wife, Jill.