本书的主要内容包括三部分，一是介绍了如何用算法解决在计算机应用中经常出现的现实问题，二是介绍了计算复杂性的基本原理与技术，*后讲解了NP-完备性问题及并行算法。本书强调算法设计技术，对每一个问题，首先讨论多个解决方法，然后设计、分析、修改或放弃某一算法，通过不断的深入研究，直到*后得到满意的结果。因此本书作者希望读者阅读此书，逐步培养形成一种新的分析问题的思维方式。
本书在第二版的基础上，增加了三章新内容以及许多新的主题，同时对原有章节也做了重新调整。本版次还新增了100多道习题和Java实例，书中的所有程序均以Java伪码形式给出。

Preface
1 Analyzing Algorithms and Problems: Principles and Examples
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Java as an Algorithm Language
1.3 Mathematical Background
1.4 Analyzing Algorithms and Problems
1.5 Classifying Functions by Their Asymptotic Growth Rates
1.6 Searching an Ordered Array
　　Exercises
　　Notes and References
2 Data Abstraction and Basic Data Structures
2.1 Introduction
2.2 ADT Specification and Design Techniques
2.3 Elementary ADTs--Lists and Trees
2.4 Stacks and Queues
2.5 ADTs for Dynamic Sets
　　Exercises
　　Notes and References
3 Recursion and induction
3.1 introduction
3.2 Recursive Procedures
3.3 What is a Proof?
3.4 Induction Proofs
3.5 Proving Correctness of Procedures
3.6 Recurrence Equations
3.7 Recursion Trees
　　Exercises
　　Notes and References
4 Sorting
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Insertion Sort
4.3 Divide and Conquer
4.4 Quicksort
4.5 Merging Sorted Sequences
4.6 Mergesort
4.7 Lower Bounds for Sorting by Comparison of Keys
4.8 Heapsort
4.9 Comparison of Four Sorting Algorithms
4.10 Shellsort
4.11 Radix Sorting
　　Exercises
　　Programs
　　Notes and References
5 Selection and Adversary Arguments
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Finding max and min
5.3 Finding the Second-Largest Key
5.4 The Selection Problem
5.5 A Lower Bound for Finding the Median
5.6 Designing Against an Adversary
　　Exercises
　　Notes and References
6 Dynamic Sets and Searching
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Array Doubling
6.3 Amortized Time Analysis
6.4 Red-Black Trees
6.5 Hashing
6.6 Dynamic Equivalence Relations and Union-Find Programs
6.7 Priority Queues with a Decrease Key Operation
　　Exercises
　　Programs
　　Notes and References
7 Graphs and Graph Traversals
8 Graph Optimization Problems and Greedy Algorithms
9 Transitive Closure, All-Pairs Shortest Paths
10 Dynamic Programming
11 String Matching
12 Polynomials and Matrices
13 NP-Complete Problems
14 Parallel Algorithms
A Java Examples and Techniques
Bibliography
Index