Data Structures & Algorithms in Java by Robert Lafore

Once you've learned to program, you run into real-world problems that require more than a programming language alone to solve. Data Structures and Algorithms in Java is a gentle immersion into the most practical ways to make data do what you want it to do. Lafore's relaxed mastery of the techniques comes through as though he's chatting with the reader over lunch, gesturing toward appealing graphics. The book starts at the very beginning with data structures and algorithms, but assumes the reader understands a language such as Java or C++. Examples are given in Java to keep them free of explicit pointers.

This book is about data structures and algorithms as used in computer programming. Data structures are ways in which data is arranged in your computer's memory (or stored on disk). Algorithms are the procedures a software program uses to manipulate the data in these structures. Almost every computer program, even a simple one, uses data structures and algorithms. For example, consider a program that prints address labels. The program might use an array containing the addresses to be printed, and a simple for loop to step through the array, printing each address. The array in this example is a data structure, and the for loop, used for sequential access to the array, executes a simple algorithm. For uncomplicated programs with small amounts of data, such a simple approach might be all you need. However, for programs that handle even moderately large amounts of data, or that solve problems that are slightly out of the ordinary, more sophisticated techniques are necessary. Simply knowing the syntax of a computer language such as Java or C++ isn't enough. This book is about what you need to know after you've learned a programming language. The material we cover here is typically taught in colleges and universities as a second-year course in computer science, after a student has mastered the  fundamentals of programming.