The Art of Computer Programming, Vol3: Sorting and Searching

The Art of Computer Programming (sometimes known by its initials TAOCP) is a comprehensive monograph written by Donald Knuth that covers many kinds of programming algorithms and their analysis.
American Scientist has included this work among “100 or so Books that shaped a Century of Science”, referring to the 20th century, and within the computer science community it is regarded as the first and still the best comprehensive treatment of its subject.

“If you think you're a really good programmer... read [Knuth's] Art of Computer Programming... You should definitely send me a resume if you can read the whole thing. “
–Bill Gates

“The bible of all fundamental algorithms and the work that taught many of today's software developers most of what they know about computer programming. “
–Byte, September 1995

“I can't begin to tell you how many pleasurable hours of study and recreation they have afforded me! I have pored over them in cars, restaurants, at work, at home... and even at a Little League game when my son wasn't in the line-up. “
–Charles Long

“It's always a pleasure when a problem is hard enough that you have to get the Knuths off the shelf. I find that merely opening one has a very useful terrorizing effect on computers”.
–Jonathan Laventhol

The first revision of this third volume is the most comprehensive survey of classical computer techniques for sorting and searching. It extends the treatment of data structures in Volume 1 to consider both large and small databases and internal and external memories. The book contains a selection of carefully checked computer methods, with a quantitative analysis of their efficiency. Outstanding features of the second edition include a revised section on optimum sorting and new discussions of the theory of permutations and of universal hashing.