Paying close attention to the Java 2 collection classes, this book is designed to give programmers the ability to choose the best collection classes for each application. The focus of the book is on abstract data types (ADTs) that turn up again and again in software design. It will use these ADTs to introduce the data structures required to implement them and the algorithms associated with the data structures. Suitable for a first course in algorithms and data structures, or a second course in programming using Java, this text offers a unique angle by concentrating on the in-built collection classes in Java 2, enabling more emphasis on software design, and less on theory. Primarily targetted at students of computer science or information technology, but also of interest to professional programmers and software engineers who are retraining to program in Java.