The library sorting problem is used across computer science for organizing far more than just books. A new solution is less than a page-width away from the theoretical ideal. Computer scientists often ...

In a world of copycats and celebs, independent and indefinable books are winning out. There’s no money! Reading is dying! Authors are doomed unless they’re a Prince or much-loved tall telly man!

If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle the easiest pieces first. But this kind of sorting has a cost.