The Algorithm Design Manual
The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skienaby Steven Skiena
Shares rank 2 of 4 algorithms textbooks by recommenders
Recommended for teaching algorithms through proof and stressing that choosing the right data structure does most of the work.
Recommended for teaching algorithms through proof and stressing that choosing the right data structure does most of the work.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Teaches algorithms by proving them
“The book began with trying to prove various algorithms, and I found that to be a great way to approach the topic.”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Six Math Essentials” Data structure choice drives solutions
“choosing the right data structure to model your problem can take you 95% of the way toward the best solution”
Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Patterns.dev” Used alongside other algorithm references
“For software engineering, it nicely compliments Skiena's”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “What to Learn to Be a Graphics Programmer” “consulting CLRS or Skiena instead”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “The Art of Computer Programming by Donald E. Knuth”
Other algorithms textbooks people recommend
The three most recommended other algorithms textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Algorithmsby Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein | 10 | 1 | 91% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Algorithm Design Manualby Steven SkienaThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Algorithmsby Robert Sedgewick | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Foundations of Multidimensional and Metric Data Structuresby Hanan Samet | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“consulting CLRS or Skiena instead”
“For software engineering, it nicely compliments Skiena's”
“The book began with trying to prove various algorithms, and I found that to be a great way to approach the topic.”
“choosing the right data structure to model your problem can take you 95% of the way toward the best solution”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.