Programming Pearls

When programmers list their favorite books, Jon Bentley's collection of programming pearls is commonly included among the classics. Just as natural pearls grow from grains of sand that irritate oysters, programming pearls have grown from real problems that have irritated real programmers. With origins beyond solid engineering, in the realm of insight and creativity, Bentley's pearls offer unique and clever solutions to those nagging problems. Illustrated by programs designed as much for fun as for instruction, the book is filled with lucid and witty descriptions of practical programming techniques and fundamental design principles. It is not at all surprising that Programming Pearls has been so highly valued by programmers at every level of experience. In this revision, the first in 14 years, Bentley has substantially updated his essays to reflect current programming methods and environments. In addition, there are three new essays on - testing, debugging, and timing - set representations - string problems All the original programs have been rewritten, and an equal amount of new code has been generated. Implementations of all the programs, in C or C++, are now available on the Web. What remains the same in this new edition is Bentley's focus on the hard core of programming problems and his delivery of workable solutions to those problems. Whether you are new to Bentley's classic or are revisiting his work for some fresh insight, the book is sure to make your own list of favorites.

- I. PRELIMINARIES. - Column 1. Cracking the Oyster. - Column 2. Aha! Algorithms. - Column 3. Data Structures Programs. - Column 4. Writing Correct Programs. - Column 5. A Small Matter of Programming. - II. PERFORMANCE. - Column 6. Perspective on Performance. - Column 7. The Back of the Envelope. - Column 8. Algorithm Design Techniques. - Column 9. Code Tuning. - Column 10. Squeezing Space. - III. THE PRODUCT. - Column 11. Sorting. - Column 12. A Sample Problem. - Column 13. Searching. - Column 14. Heaps. - Column 15. Strings of Pearls. - Appendix 1. A Catalog of Algorithms. - Appendix 2. An Estimation Quiz. - Appendix 3. Cost Models for Time and Space. - Appendix 4. Rules for Code Tuning. - Appendix 5. C++ Classes for Searching. - Hints for Selected Problems.