Aigner M. Combinatorial Search 1988

Textbook in PDF abd DJVU formats

The purpose of this book is to give an introduction to the basic ideas (Chapter 1) and present a collection of the most interesting instances of search problems (Chapters 2-6). At the beginning the scope of combinatorial search is spelled out (roughly meaning that all tests of the search process are error-free). The arrangement of chapters 2-6 allows the reader to use them almost independently and to combine chapter 1 and some of the subsequent sections into an introduction to search theory. Every section is followed by a set of exercises. An asterisk indicates that this exercise is particularly helpful or interesting, with a solution appearing at the end of the book.
Every chapter is concluded by a list of unsolved problems and a guide to further reading. The references are by no means exhaustive or representative; usually they have been included because they were used in one way or another in the preparation of the text. Books are marked by an asterisk. As to the problems, I would be grateful to learn of any solution or suggestion by the reader