How to obtain the book for class

We will use the 3rd edition of Introduction to Algorithms by Thomas Cormen, Charles Leiserson, Ronald Rivest, and Clifford Stein (ISBN-13: 978-0262033848). Often this is called the “CLRS” book based on the surname initials of the authors. Accessing the book is important because we will have regular reading quizzes based on the book.

If you are considering graduate school, I encourage you to get a physical copy rather than renting the book. CLRS is considered one of the most commonly used Algorithms books, serves as an excellent reference manual, and it is very likely that you will use this book again in your next Algorithms class (regardless of the school).

Ask a friend

Did you have a friend that took this class in a previous semester? Are they willing to loan you their book, or to sell it to you at a discount price?

Bookstore / Amazon: physical copy ($)

For those that prefer a physical copy - consider buying used. See the Wilson Bookstore or Amazon, for example.

You can use this for free with your College of Wooster account. We have enough access copies for everyone in the class.

  1. Go to The College of Wooster Libraries: https://wooster.edu/library/

  2. Type in the “Consort Catalog” search box the phrase “Introduction to Algorithms”, and select “Search”.

  3. You will see a few books pop up. We want the latest one (at the time of writing, it shows year 2009), which will be the 3rd edition. Note that the 2nd edition (2001) looks very similar but has a green color instead of blue colors. We want the 3rd edition (2009). Click “View available access options at Wooster”.

  4. A new page will pop up. Once again, click “View available access options at Wooster”.

  5. A new page will pop up. Select the link “Ebook Central - Academic Complete.”

  6. This will take you to a website which appears as follows. You can then click the “Read Online” button. Note that you will not be able to download a PDF of the book, but you can access it online this way.