Data Structures and Abstractions with Java

Data structures become easier to reason about when you can separate what a structure is meant to do from how it is built. Data Structures and Abstractions with Java takes that distinction as a guiding idea, introducing core CS-2 concepts in a sequence that connects specifications, implementations, and the choices programmers make along the way.

Start with the structure, then examine the implementation

Frank M. Carrano and Timothy M. Henry organize the textbook around abstract data types (ADTs). Readers encounter structures such as bags, stacks, queues, and lists, then study implementations using arrays or linked data. This approach helps clarify the relationship between an ADT’s behavior and the code that realizes it.

From everyday collections to trees and graphs

The coverage builds across a wide range of foundational topics: algorithm efficiency, recursion, sorting, searching, dictionaries, hashing, trees, heaps, balanced search trees, and graphs. Because the chapters focus on individual concepts and implementations, the material can be followed as a progression or revisited by topic.

Java appears where it is needed

Rather than folding every language detail into the data-structure chapters, the book places relevant Java material in interludes. Subjects include generics, exceptions, iterators, inheritance and polymorphism, mutable and immutable objects, and cloning. The fifth edition also emphasizes safe and secure programming practices and includes Java 9-compliant code, according to its introductory material.

A modular format for study and teaching

Thirty chapters are broken into short, numbered segments, with examples and illustrations supporting the explanations. Exercises and programming projects give readers opportunities to work with the ideas, while study questions encourage review. The authors also describe more than 60 video tutorials as supplemental instruction.

Who may find it useful

This text is designed for students and instructors in an introductory data structures course. It can also serve as a reference for Java learners who want to understand the principles behind collections and their implementations—not just how to use them.