Excluding Knuth's opera (another dimension), this (AHU) is about the other and only renowned classic algorithms book, deseverdly I'd say, together with Cormen-Leiserson-Rivest's (CLR) "Introduction to Algorithms". With the difference that the first and only edition of AHU has been written 16 years before the first (of the two) editions of CLR.

The two books are quite different in the language and formalism used: more formal and mathematical inclined AHU with respect to CLR. I'd say, the very classic style of his authors who have made history in the CS literature with their books (particularly 2 on algorithms and data structures, 2 on Computer Theory, 2 on Compilers, 1 on CS foundations): as these books have been used in most universities around the world for decades, they've proved to be real milestones in the education of thousands of students.

The books differ also in scope, since AHU is certainly not an encyclopedic collection as CLR does, with his roughly 500 pages against 1000. In spite of this, I'd point out the following: my textbook on Algorithms was CLR, but when we got to Complexity Classes (P-NP and theory behind) we "had" to switch to AHU for the simple reason that CLR did not almost mention at all Turing Machines nor Space Complexity, without which is certainly possible to learn e.g. about NP-TIME completeness, but without which, such a path would equally certainly miss some foundamental topics of Complexity Theory.

All in all, then, imo the book truly deserves 5 stars (and perhaps it would deserve a second, updated, edition too ... possibly, imho, through a bit less revolutionary revision job than they did with "Introduction to Automata Theory, Language and Computation").

As a final note, those looking for a more applicative and self-reference than an educational introductory text, could have a look at the two-volumes opera by the former Knuth's pupil, Robert Sedgewick (possibly the more consolidated C or C++ versions).

The book elaborates thoroughly on the basics every programmer should be familiar with. If you are into software development, and have found some unfamiliar concepts in the book description - that's a sure sign that you need this book on your desk.

This is yet another classic from the Aho Gang!

It sets up a very formal framework for discussing alorithms, beginning at the beginning..an abstract mathematical model of a computer. and builds up the rest of the book using the model for implementation as well as quantification.

A solid framework for the analysis of algorithms is setup. The necessary mathematics is covered, helping in measuring an algorithm's complexity..basically the time and space complexities.

Then it goes on to deal with designing algorithms. the design methodology, with elaborate examples and exercises.

It should be admitted however that this is a solid text for the mathematically oriented. Thats the reason for the 5 stars!

If you want to go a little easy on the formalisms try
"Computer Algorithms, Pseudocode" by Ellis Horowitz, Sartaj Sahni, Sanguthevar Rajasekaran. I found it more pragmatic.

This is the only book I remember reading as a young child. I probably read it 20 times. I have no idea where my old copy is, but I'm ordering one for me and one for my nieces. It was a GREAT story! Both happy and sad.

I first read this book as a child of about 8. Throughly enjoyed the story then. Remembered that it brought tears to my eyes each time I read it. Although it's been many years since I've read the story, I'm sure it still has the same impact. Waiting for the book to arrive so that I may enjoy it again. Great read for all ages.

I read this book as a child 40 years ago and never forgot it. I am going to purchase it for my 8 year old son to read and hopefully also enjoy!

no hype. i couldn't stop laughing as i was reading this. and i mean laughing out loud. in a cafe. with everyone staring at me. but i didn't care. and i couldn't help it if i did. it's just too hilarious.

There is at least one author who may remind you of Stephen Leacock, namely Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegon fame, but Leacock should be recognized as the ultimate master of quaint, bucolic humor. Leacock, who died in 1944, became arguably the most prominent Canadian humorist of his day (and probably of all time). What is ironic about that claim is that Leacock worked for most of his life as a professor of economics. We do not usually equate economics with humor, preferring to think of that profession as one of bow ties and supply and demand charts. Throw that presumption out the window and pick up a copy of "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town," Leacock's best known work available through the New Canadian Library series.

For me, one of the funniest sections of the book was the introduction written by Leacock, where he gives you some background about himself and his profession. This short piece of writing quickly gives you an idea of the type of humor you will find in the actual sketches: a very sly, very quiet and clever type of humor that often takes a while to sink in. Leacock does not rely on rim shot jokes or manic posturing in his writings. Instead, he creates the fictional Canadian town of Mariposa and populates it with small town archetypes that are wonders to behold.

All of the characters are hilarious in their own way: Mr. Smith, the proprietor of the local hotel and bar, full of schemes to earn money while trying to get his liquor license back. Then there is Jefferson Thorpe, the barber involved in financial schemes that may put him on the level of the Morgans and the Rockefellers. The Reverend Mr. Drone presides over the local Church of England in Mariposa, a man who reads Greek as easy as can be but laments his lack of knowledge about logarithms and balancing the financial books of the church. Peter Pupkin, the teller at the local bank, has a secret he wants no one to know about, but which eventually comes out while he is courting the daughter of the town judge. All of these characters, and several others, interact throughout the sketches.

Leacock has the ability to turn a story, to make it take a crazy, unexpected twist even when you are looking for such a maneuver. That he accomplishes this in stories that rarely run longer than twenty pages is certainly a sign of great talent. By the time you reach the end of the book, you know these people as though you lived in the town yourself, and you know what makes them tick.

Despite all of the crazy antics in Mariposa, Leacock never lets the reader lose sight of the fact that these are basically good people living good lives. There seems to be a lot of feeling for the citizens of Mariposa on the part of Leacock, which comes to a head in the final sketch in the collection, "L'Envoi. The Train to Mariposa," where he recounts traveling back to the town after being away for years, with all of the attendant emotions that brings as recognizable landmarks come into view and the traveler realizes that his little town is the same as when he left it years before.

I suspect there is a historical importance to "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town." These writings first appeared in 1912, a time when many people living in the bigger Canadian cities still remembered life in a small town. In addition to the humorous aspects of the book, the author includes many descriptive passages concerning the atmosphere and layout of Mariposa, something instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in such a place. Nostalgia for the simpler life of the small town probably played a significant role in the book's success.

I look forward to reading more Stephen Leacock. While much of the humor in the book is not belly laugh funny, it does provide one with a deep satisfaction of reading clever humor from an author who knows how to tickle the funny bone. You do not need to be Canadian to enjoy this wonderful book.

Perhaps the finest comment about Stephen Leacock in the last half century is that "he is a
Will Rogers for the 90's."

Rogers, of course, is one of the most beloved of American humorists -- he was killed in
1935 when his plane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska. Leacock died on March 28, 1944.
Like Rogers, he had been Canada's favorite humorist for decades.

Sunshine Sketches is about Orillia, Ontario, Canada, where Leacock had his summer home
on Brewery Bay (he once wrote, "I have known that name, the old Brewery Bay, to make
people feel thirsty by correspondence as far away as Nevada.") His home is now maintained
as a historic site by the town of Orillia. I lived there for almost 30 years, and the people of Orillia are still much the same as Leacock portrayed them in 1912.

These stories about various personalities in town were printed in the local newspaper in the
1910 - 1912 era, before being compiled into this book which established Leacock's literary
fame. The people portrayed really lived, though some are composites; the events are of a
kindly humorist looking at the foibles of small town life. Once they came out in book form
and soared to national popularity, everyone in town figured the rest of the country was
laughing at them because of Leacock's book and he was royally hated in Orillia to the end
of his life.

Gradually, and this took decades, Orillians came to recognize that genius had walked
amongst them for several decades. (It's hard to recognize genius when your own ego is so
inflated.) Orillia now awards the annual "Leacock Medal for Humor" -- Canada's top literary
prize for the best book of humour for the preceding year.

Leacock died when I was six, but I did know his son, who still lived in town. I delivered
papers to the editor of the "Newspacket," Leacock's name for the Orillia Packet and Times
(where I worked) and the rival Newsletter. The Packet had the same editor in the 1940's as
when Leacock wrote about him in 1910.

But the book is more than Orillia; it is a wonderfully kind and humorous description of life in
many small towns. The American artist Norman Rockwell painted the same kinds of scenes;
it is the type of idyllic urban life so many of us keep longing to find again in our hectic
urban world.

Leacock realized the book was universal in its description of small towns, and in the preface
he wrote "Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is about seventy or eighty of
them. You may find them all the way from Lake Superior to the sea, with the same square
streets and the same maple trees and the same churches and hotels, and everywhere the
sunshine of the land of hope."

True enough, which gives this book continuing appeal nearly a century after it was written.
All great writing is about topics you know, and as a longtime resident Leacock knew Orillia
well. As for Leacock himself, he wrote, "I was born at Swanmoor, Hants., England, on Dec.
30, 1869. I am not aware that there was any particular conjunction of the planets at the
time, but should think it extremely likely."

He says of his education, "I survived until I took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
1903. The meaning of this degree is that the recipient of instruction is examined for the last
time in his life, and is pronounced completely full. After this, no new ideas can be imparted
to him."

In reviewing Charles Dickens' works in 1934, Leacock wrote what could well be his own
epitaph: "Transitory popularity is not proof of genius. But permanent popularity is." The fact
his writings are still current illustrates the nature of his writing.

In contrast to the sometimes sardonic humor of modern times, Sunshine Sketches reflects
Leacock's idea that "the essence of humor is human kindness." Or, in the same vein, "Humor
may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic
expression thereof."

Granted, this book is not what he recognized to have widespread appeal to modern readers.
In his own words, "There are only two subjects that appeal nowadays to the general public,
murder and sex; and, for people of culture, sex-murder." Yet, anyone reading this will
remember scenes from it for much longer than anything from a murder mystery.

In today's world, where newspapers almost daily track Prime Minister Tony Blair's dash to
the political right, Leacock wrote, "Socialism won't work except in Heaven where they don't
need it and in Hell where they already have it."

He described his own home as follows, "I have a large country house -- a sort of farm
which I carry on as a hobby . . . . Ten years ago the deficit on my farm was about a
hundred dollars; but by well-designed capital expenditure and by greater attention to
details, I have got it into the thousands." Sounds familiar to today's farm policies ?

It's what I mean by this being a timeless work.

Leacock himself noted, when talking about good literature, "Personally, I would sooner have
written 'Alice in Wonderland' than the whole of the 'Encyclopedia Britannica'." This is his
'Alice' and it well deserves to be favorably compared to Lewis Carroll's work.

By all measures, it is still the finest Canadian book ever written.

This is a great book. In addition, I recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Michael Beitler.

This is the most helpful book available on organizational culture. Their OCAI instrument (for diagnosing organizational culture) alone is worth more than the price of the book. I use Cameron & Quinn's material with every one of my clients.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

The authors provide a great model for understanding and diagnosing organizations. Their cultural quandrant methodology also provides a common language for people within an organization to talk about what they have and what they want. I recommend this for everyone who wants to understand their own organization. Their instrument (OCAI) is both easy to understand and easy to use.

It's almost overwhelming. There is no way you can spend this much time teaching everything, but it's nice to be able to pick and choose fun things to do with your baby. It's easy to use in a well thought out layout from birth on, divided by sensory perception.

As a first time mom,of a child with special needs to boot, I had no idea. This book and the others in the series are great resources for finding things to do with your child other than watching Teletubbies for the thousandth time. If your child needs extra help in a certain area, like fine motor or listening skills, you can easily find a variety of exercises to help here. The later books in the series (Threes, Fours, and Fives) would also be a great resource for a homeschooling parent.

Not just for daycare! I am a first-time, stay-at-home mom and needed a way to tell if I was "doing all the right stuff" in regards to play, development, speech, music, etc. This book gives you exercises that are so easy for each stage of the first year of life. There is not a lot to read like a typical baby care book, but each section outlines what the child should be accomplishing and gives you exercises to ensure that your child reaches those development milestones. If you can look past the idea that it is written for daycare providers, you will find this book extremely helpful. I knew I was giving my child all he needed because I had these exercises to use as a handy guide. Good luck to you!

Somebody has killed an aging American veteran and Wesley Peterson has to find out who--and why. Old animosities between the U.S. soldiers and the English people uprooted from their homes come into play, but a psychic claims that the Armada Boy--a survivor of the Spanish Armada is the one to ask.

Kate Ellis writes a fine mystery but what makes this book so compelling is her descriptions of the people and countryside of England. Wesley Peterson, with his pregnant wife suffering from hormone overload, Detective Inspecter Heffernam, with is love for sailing and his need to escape from people yet desire to bond with them, and Detective Constable Rachel Tracey with her ambition, all make sympathetic characters you'll root for as they struggle forward.

The mystery is sufficiently complex and interesting. Ellis's approach of weaving the three eras together proves effective and, ultimately, the fabric of the story proves to be woven together more closely than would at first appear. This is an excellent novel.

In Kate Ellis, British literature has a champion to contend with the commercial american heavyweights churning out their tuppenny paperbacks. In the Armada Boy, Ellis successfully produces three narratives of different periods of time, all around the same West Country area. She interweaves these timeframes in a refreshing fashion that rather than slowing and disrupting the flow and pace of the story make the novel flow seemlessly and intelligably between ages. The author maintains the characters from the previous novel but manages to find the right blend of introduction and continuity meaning no readers are alienated in terms of character development. The novel's star characters would appear to be the Americans who I assure you, after spending several hours in the presence of some American Vets. on Christmas Eve are spookily realistic. The interaction amongst the detectives is impressive, with real depth and life which adds to the novel rather than drawing away from the pace of the book.

Bottom line: A great read as either a stand alone novel or part of a sucessful series.

This novel grabbed my attention from the first scene and held it to the last. It is a truly great read.

For me, the real joys of 'The Armada Boy' are the fascinating blend of modern and historical crime; the rich diversity of characters (my personal favourite being Detective Constable Rachel Tracey - a real star in the wings who deserves a novel of her own); and the way in which three completely separate periods of history are woven together so effortlessly. Oh yes, and as with all great crime novels, I would never have guessed 'whodunnit'!!

I hardly put this novel down from the moment I picked it up.I couldn't wait to see what the next page would bring. I inherited my love of crime fiction from my late Grandmother who was a real connoisseur of the genre and as I read this novel I thought often of her. How she would have loved it!

Let me explain why I acquired this title - I was looking for a birthday gift for a new young reader, and Christmas gifts for several friends who love to read. Not to mention a way to organize my own reading. Each group has different needs in a book diary or a reading journal.

This particular title is great if you want to write detailed notes about a book. Say, for example, you want to write down your opinions about books you are reading for a reading group, or for pleasure (to catch up with the classics, your favorite author, or in a particular subject). If you are looking for a book where you can put down short quick notes or organize your reading by author or by subject, this is definitely not the book you want. Rather, this is a way to record your impressions of your reading over a period of time. (Some of us like to scribble instead in the books we read, but I am not one of those readers).

Was this a good buy, my little problem with the copy I received apart? Yes and no. It was not exactly the title I wanted for myself, and not the title I would give to a young reader. Yes, the illustrations were beautiful (based on book printing and publishing history), but I am far more interested in the author's side of things. And I did not want a pricey diary to record my serious reading - I have a good blank diary I use for the same purpose.

The book does have a place to record book loans and borrowals, a place to list the addresses of book stores and so forth. For the reader who wants to keep careful notes about what she or he is reading and who is willing to write about a page or so for each book, this is a good buy. For the reader who wants to keep terser notes about books read, or wants to make lists of books to read by subject or by author or by title, this is not the best buy.

Now I wish there was a version of this for a child. The lettering was nice and large, but a young reader wants illustrations and quotations from works familiar to him or her, not about the history of book publishing? Are you there, publisher?

revised on November 16, 2001

I purchased this journal from Amazon almost two years back by just browsing the results for a book journal. I can honestly say this is one of my best purchases.

This is a hardback notebook with great paper quality. It is no non-sense journal as it lets you play with your own words and does not insert space for unimportant information to make it look fancy. There is a page devoted to each book with a space for title, author, date read and comments. Towards the end of the journal there are pages devoted to make a note of books you wish to read in future, books loaned and an address book for your favorite book stores. The journal also has interesting pictures and notes about popular books and authors.

Very highly recommended for people wanting to keep a note of all their readings.

For close to ten years now, I have kept a journal devoting a page to each book I've read. This is the best "reader's" journal that I have found. Along with providing space to write about each book read, this journal is packed with interesting book-related images.

This was the original book of C++ "idioms and traps", full of practical details such as where to use virtual destructors and the correct way to write the copy constructor and assignment operators. Then Scott Meyer's book came along with such sparkle and wit that I put this book aside, even though they pretty much covered the same ground. The second edition of Meyers' book covers the new ANSI standard - and while this was needed, it has a fair amount of "code lawyering" and is no longer a breeze to read. I'm glad I held onto the Murray book to cover the basic concepts, even though it's slightly out of date.

Once you have good knowledge of the basics and know basic OOP, you should start reading this book. This book has lots of good information reguarding design and loop holes all new programer can commit. But its best feature is that its so easy to understand.

For the reviewer below that stated that this book is dated because it does not cover templates could not be farther from reality, as apparently he has not read the book nor has he looked at the table of contents. If my eyes are still functional, this book has two chapters consectutive dedicated to to templates, chapter 7 [Templates] and 8[Advanced Templates]. This book is easy to read and for the novice wanting to get up to speed on the syxtax of the language and more importantly when and how to use each contruct of the language, this book has no equal except two other books. The books are Kayshav Dattatri's C++ Effective Object Oriented Software Construction and James O. Copliens Advanced C++: Styles and Idioms from Prentice Hall and Addison Wesley respectively. This book is not even 300 pages which allows you to read it again and bolster what you vacumed on the first pass and ready for instinctive mastery for the second and third passes if you are really ambitious. The discussion on smart pointers is informative and will assist you in your way to patternizing COM code. This book is for all experience types and serves as a perfect desktop reference guide for C++ masters alike. With this book and the two mentioned above, plus the C++ IO Streams Handbook by Beale, there are no other books you should refer to, probably including Stroustrup's.

Although the book seems to be small in size, it covers L2TP protocol very well. This book gives a good discussion of L2TP protocol and deployment in different scenarios and good refernce for developers.

Clearly explains the tunnel and session negotiations with state machines and examples.
The implementation tips provides guidelines for implementing L2TP stack. Also explains the interaction of L2TP with PPP and IPSec and covers the security aspects of L2TP.

This book is more focussed on the L2TP client running in the ISP side(Compulsory L2TP tunneling).May be author can provide more details on the deployment where L2TP client running at the Remote User PC.

This book provides a well-written, easy to understand description of L2TP.

This book is very well written, the text flows well, making it easy to glance over a topic and still understand it. It is not only a good book for a L2TP beginner, but also a good reference guide for people who are interested in topics that are L2TP-related (VJ compression, Radius, etc.). Another plus, the size and soft binding of the book make it easy to handle.

A thoroughly enjoyable read! From the moment I started reading this intriguing mystery, I found myself setting sail on The Granada, along with a cast of characters worthy of Agatha Christie, and knew I was in for a thrill-a-minute Carribean cruise. How right I was!

I enjoyed this murder mystery. It left me guessing up until the end. The final chapters unravel the riddles dropped along the way by the craftily created characters.

This story lassoed me on the first page and dragged me through to the last. I couldn't put it down.
A very poignant love story and an unfailingly gallant hero whose sufferings had earned him extraordinary understanding and compassion gave depth to this mystery/thriller.
The hero is heroic to the bone -- as were an astounding number of "our greatest generation." It is good for us to read about such men as we stare world-wide destruction down yet again.