Book Review for "Selected Papers on Computer Science" by Donald E . Knut h Samir Khulle r Department of Computer Scienc e University of Maryland, College Park, MD 2074 2 sami.r@cs .umd .ed u Copyright © Samir Khuller, 199 7 "Selected papers on computer science" by Donald E . Knuth [3] is a collection of lectures an d published papers aimed at a wide audience . A detailed narrative, replete with illustrations an d examples, this collection focuses on three principle themes : the centrality of algorithms to compute r science, the importance of combining theory and practice, as well as the historical development o f the field . Addressing the first of these issues, Knuth argues that computer science is essentially abou t algorithms and algorithmic thought . As he puts it, "Algorithms are the life-blood of compute r science . . .the common denominator that underlies and unifies the different branches" . Defining algorithms as concepts that exist independent of programs, even though programming languages ar e used to express algorithms, Knuth states that "a person well trained in computer science knows ho w to deal with algorithms, how to construct them, manipulate them, understand them,
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