Approximation Algorithms

Rating:
Summary: No approximations, this is THE optimal book!
Review: I have been using Dorit Hochbaum's book on approximation algorithms for NP-Hard problems as a guideline for my work. Hochbaum's book is, without a doubt, terrific. However, the survey format compromised a smooth flow in favor of bringing together the best people in the field. This book (Vazirani's) corrects this by being so smooth and elegant from start to finish. Excellent problem sets, excellent hints for most problems, and there is a section at the end of the book devoted to open problems, which is a really really cool feature. My favorite chapter -29 I think- deals with hardness of approximation and the PCP theorem. The chapter explains the PCP theorem so vividly that the exact next thing I was doing was reading and comprehending the latest papers in this area. If you're a researcher in algorithms and complexity, then this book is highly recommended, especially at this ridiculously low price.
Note on my background: I am a graduate (masters) student in CS.