Introduction to Algorithms
Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Steinby Thomas H. Cormen and Charles E. Leiserson and Ronald L. Rivest and Clifford Stein
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 4 algorithms textbooks
Recommended as a thorough, long-lasting algorithms textbook covering nearly everything needed; a few readers find some parts less valuable.
Recommended as a thorough, long-lasting algorithms textbook covering nearly everything needed; a few readers find some parts less valuable.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 91%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 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
Covers nearly everything you need
“that has pretty much everything you may need in that regards”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “It used to be hard” “my copies of Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen et al. and my Knuth volumes remain relevant”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?” Content stays relevant over time
“my copies of Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen et al. and my Knuth volumes remain relevant”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?” “Most underlying technology is timeless”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “The cleaner: One woman's mission to help Britain's hoarders” Enjoyable writing with history lessons
“It's a nice space to be in, a blissful stroll through pedagogy, little history lessons, easy stuff.”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: How does one stay motivated to grind through LeetCode?” “CLRS is a wonderful book and I learned a ton from it.”
Comment from 10 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: I couldn't afford interview prep, so I built a free alternative”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Some readers find it low value
“I considered it leg work and not of very high value”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: How did you learn to code?”
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 Thomas H. Cormen and Charles E. Leiserson and Ronald L. Rivest and Clifford SteinThis page | 10 | 1 | 91% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Algorithm Design Manualby Steven S. Skiena | 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
9 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“CLRS is a wonderful book and I learned a ton from it.”
“I hate that Introduction to Algorithms [CORMEN] uses a TNR-like font”
“consulting CLRS or Skiena instead”
“that has pretty much everything you may need in that regards”
“my copies of Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen et al. and my Knuth volumes remain relevant”
“Most underlying technology is timeless”
“I considered it leg work and not of very high value”
“The CLRS proof using indicator random vars was a oh-shit moment.”
“It's a nice space to be in, a blissful stroll through pedagogy, little history lessons, easy stuff.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.