Data Structures with Java

Wow, I am very surprised that this book has only 1 review! It's strange, because this book is actually pretty good. It does exactly what you would expect - it teaches the basics of Data Structures. Although I wouldn't go as far as the first reviewer did and I do question the credibility of his review, because this book's coverage of Big-O is virtually non-existent. Indeed, there's no math involved at all! This book does introduce some basic algorithms, mostly through exercises, but you will need to get another textbook for that, because this one does not provide enough details. This is what I've done and I suggest you do the same - read the chapters, implement the data structures yourself. Skip the exercises, most of them briefly cover algorithms but don't waste your time on that, because after you're done with the chapters you will get a real algorithms textbook and study them for real. If this book was called "Data Structures And Algorithms with Java" then I would've given the book 2 stars. But this is "Data Structures"-only textbook and it covers the subject fairly well. Yes, the book is 1000 pages long but the font is pretty big, there are lots of pictures, and many exercises (which you should skip) and all-in-all it becomes a quick read. I've spent an hour a day at most on this book and finished it in 2 months. As you can see, this book is pretty cheap here, so the money you spend are well worth it. The coverage is basic, so this is far from being a useful reference, but it does give a great introduction for beginers.

6 stars if possible. A top of the line book on Data Structures. Practical and well explained (very thorough) with excellent examples this book sits at my desk for a refresher on Algorithm Analysis (Big O-h Notation) and a exhaustive set of practical samples of code using Java Generics and the new Collections using Generics. If I had to buy one Data Strutures and Algorithms book (regardless of language - C++ or Java) then this book would be it. By the way, from the same authors, there is a C++ version of this book, but the type font of the book for the Java version is much bigger and easier on the eyes. Your frustrating end to finding a post Java 1.5 Data Structures Book which shows you how how to develop the data structures raw using your own classes in addition to how it compares to the Collections in java.util are really good. Points to remember regarding this book when seeking to compare against other books of this same subject are: No obtuse mathematical formulas to tangle with in this book, since this book is very practical and results oriented. A non-professional programmer can make whole use of this book and come away with a suitcase full of development skills and practical concepts of Data Structures. No tedious mathematics and formulas to deal with here. Simply easy to read, digest, and apply. Source code is provided (in its completeness) from the authors website. My recommedation is to know Ant and/or Maven to easily compile the source code under a structured build directory setup.