





The Basics

Introduction to Graph Theory – Trudeau



Go from zero understanding to a solid grasp of the basics in just a few weeks.





Well written with context for non-mathematicians willing to do basic calculations for proofs.





I covered this in two weeks and have no advanced degree in mathematics.



First Course in Graph Theory – Chartrand and Zhang



Extremely well-recommended. Longer history of graph theory with stress on significance.





I was really smitten with this one! It’s a mix of history, context and explanation.





Don’t be intimidated by the length or put off by the mix. You don’t have to read every chapter and it really has something for everyone.



Graph Theory and Complex Networks: An Introduction – van Steen



Reported to be a great introduction with careful attention paid to make the mathematics less intimidating.



YouTube: Graph Theory + Series



Lots of content from graph theory to algorithms.



YouTube: Graph Algorithm Series



Good series that is snappy and easy to understand.



Free LEDA Chapter (5) on Graph Algorithms



Not as reader-friendly as the other items here, but it has sample code you can play with.

Getting Serious

The Timeless Way of Building – Christopher Alexander



This covers classic design concepts for those building anything.





I included upon Michael Hunger’s declaration it was the best for learning good design approaches.



Network Science – Barabási



A good, multidisciplinary approach to networks and complex systems.





Many agree it’s extremely readable for a graduate level text with fantastic color graphics.





I added this to my queue after seeing the tie to complexity studies and after four chapters I can confirm this is a real gem .

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The Algorithm Design Manual – Skiena



Less academic with good examples that relate to practical problems.





There are four chapters focused on graph algorithms as well as sprinkles throughout.





Not for the total beginner, but it’s reasonable for most and especially for those building solutions.





Although I have no coding background, I’m really enjoying this and find the explanations very understandable. I like the “war stories” sections in each chapter of how things can go wrong.



Algorithms – Sedgewick and Wayne



A good survey of data structure and algorithms used today with one chapter focused on graph algorithms.





I have not not read this but was impressed with all the online supporting material and related MOOC.



Introduction to Graph Theory – Douglas West



Introduction chapters are reported to be very good but you’ll need some mathematics background.





Reviews indicated that the variety of proofs were very helpful.





Ongoing updates are online.



Graph Theory and Its Applications – Gross and Yellon



Highly regarded as a great introduction with some complaints that it jumps around a bit and not as mathematically deep as it could be.





I really appreciated the long appendix of use cases and algorithms.



Modern Graph Theory – Bollobas



You’re going to need a knife and fork for this! But it seems like one of the few highly recommend texts dealing with more recent graph developments .

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Highly rated for its comprehensive coverage of “every major theorem” and as an indispensable reference for research.





This is a mathematics course text with some noting a lack of application and context.

Honorable Mentions

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Recently we announced the availability of some super efficient graph algorithms for Neo4j . In case you missed the announcement, we now have an easy-to-use library of graph algorithms that are tuned to make full use of compute resources.As part of assisting with this ongoing project, I needed to come up to speed as well as compile a list of graph algorithm and graph theory resources. Although this seemed like a short task, my list grew and continues to grow. So with that in mind, I wanted to share our list of resources on graph theory and algorithms. Our team has reviewed many of these but many are still on our to-do list.I’ve noted thebased on reviews or personal recommendations but included other resources that might warrant a look. You’ll also notice this is broken into two sections:for those getting up to speed on graph technology concepts andfor those ready to dive in deep.I hope you have as much fun with these as I have. Please let me know if there are other notable resources I’ve missed or if my rating of theis off.These graph theory resources are for those just getting started with graph concepts and business users that need the fundamentals. (Sometimes just certain chapters are even enough.)These graph algorithm and theory resources are for those with more mathematics background or ready to spend more time going deep.I had to cut the list off somewhere, but I also wanted to you see the other possible resources and provide feedback if you have experience with any of them.I’m certain I missed a lot of good videos; there are just too many to review!