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The Recursive Book of Recursion: Ace the Coding Interview with Python and JavaScript
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Recursion has an intimidating reputation: it’s considered to be an advanced computer science topic frequently brought up in coding interviews. But there’s nothing magical about recursion.
The Recursive Book of Recursion uses Python and JavaScript examples to teach the basics of recursion, exposing the ways that it’s often poorly taught and clarifying the fundamental principles of all recursive algorithms. You’ll learn when to use recursive functions (and, most importantly, when not to use them), how to implement the classic recursive algorithms often brought up in job interviews, and how recursive techniques can help solve countless problems involving tree traversal, combinatorics, and other tricky topics.
This project-based guide contains complete, runnable programs to help you learn:
- How recursive functions make use of the call stack, a critical data structure almost never discussed in lessons on recursion
- How the head-tail and “leap of faith” techniques can simplify writing recursive functions
- How to use recursion to write custom search scripts for your filesystem, draw fractal art, create mazes, and more
- How optimization and memoization make recursive algorithms more efficient
Al Sweigart has built a career explaining programming concepts in a fun, approachable manner. If you’ve shied away from learning recursion but want to add this technique to your programming toolkit, or if you’re racing to prepare for your next job interview, this book is for you.
- ISBN-101718502028
- ISBN-13978-1718502024
- PublisherNo Starch Press
- Publication dateAugust 16, 2022
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.01 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
- Print length328 pages
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From the Publisher
About the Author
Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author living in Houston. Python is his favorite programming language, and he is the developer of several open source modules for it. His other books are freely available under a Creative Commons license on his website, Invent with Python.
About the Publisher
No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.
Editorial Reviews
Review
—John D. Cook
"... this book is a worthy read for a developer who wants to deepen their knowledge of advanced programming topics. While basic recursion is included in early programming curriculum, it typically stops at examples that can be reproduced with iteration. In this book, Al Sweigart starts are these basics and quickly expands to include types of algorithms that benefit from recursion, such as tree traversal and divide-and-conquer. Though focused on those actively interviewing for engineering roles, the book is also a good fit for professional development, an engineering book club, or a brain tickler for your technical book shelf. The real life projects at the end are especially informative, which is why I think... (this review 'recurs' to the beginning)"
—Adam DuVander, @adamd, Founder of EveryDeveloper
"I have felt for a long time that I had a pretty good handle on the subject of recursion . . . Thanks to Al Sweigart's new book, I think I'm far better informed than I was before. I will re-read this book a couple more times, just to add to the knowledge."
—Ronnie Tucker, Editor, Full Circle Magazine
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : No Starch Press
- Publication date : August 16, 2022
- Language : English
- Print length : 328 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1718502028
- ISBN-13 : 978-1718502024
- Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.01 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #589,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in JavaScript Programming (Books)
- #121 in Computer Algorithms
- #272 in Programming Algorithms
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author living in Houston. He has written several programming books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. His books are freely available under a Creative Commons license at his website https://inventwithpython.com.





















