Timeless Algorithms

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The seminal papers
  • MEAP began November 2025
  • Last updated November 2025
  • Publication in Summer 2026 (estimated)
  • ISBN 9781633434462
  • 375 pages (estimated)
  • printed in black & white

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Understand the enduring algorithms behind modern AI and data science.

Timeless Algorithms explores the breakthrough algorithms that power modern AI—including Bayes’ prior and posterior beliefs, Fisher’s estimation and likelihood, Shannon’s information gain, and Breiman’s algorithmic modeling. With clarity and rigor, statistics expert Gary Sutton unpacks each concept and explains its practical relevance.

Timeless Algorithms: The seminal papers will help you to:

  • Diagnose model failures by detecting bias, drift, and overfitting early
  • Connect tools to theory by linking modern methods to their intellectual roots
  • Interpret model behavior for both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Balance accuracy and ethics by weighing performance against transparency and fairness
  • Think probabilistically by applying Bayesian inference, entropy, and expected value
  • Design trustworthy systems by making deliberate, well-founded choices about data, loss, and structure
  • Recognize hidden assumptions by uncovering what every model quietly believes about the world
  • Apply automation tools—such as generative AI and AutoML—while maintaining interpretability and human oversight

Timeless Algorithms explains both the how and the why of the most important data science algorithms. Along with the theory and practical application, you’ll get the fascinating stories behind the discoveries by Bayes, Fisher, Shannon, Bellman, and others. You’ll especially appreciate how author Gary Sutton makes the sometimes-complex seminal papers come to life in rich detail.

about the book

Timeless Algorithms: The seminal papers uses the insights of AI pioneers to help you diagnose failures, recognize hidden assumptions, and reason across the layers of your models and applications. Each chapter connects a common data tool to its seminal mathematics paper, revealing the “hidden stack”—a unique framework that maps the layers of modern intelligence from data to philosophy. With a focus on judgement and ethics, you’ll learn to design trustworthy systems, think probabilistically, and use automation wisely to build intelligent models that are not just effective, but principled.

about the reader

For data scientists, engineers, statisticians, business analysts, and decision-makers.

about the author

Gary Sutton is a business intelligence and analytics leader and the author of Statistics Slam Dunk: Statistical analysis with R on real NBA data, and Statistics Every Programmer Needs.
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choose your plan

team

monthly
annual
$49.99
$399.99
only $33.33 per month
  • five seats for your team
  • access to all Manning books, MEAPs, liveVideos, liveProjects, and audiobooks!
  • choose another free product every time you renew
  • choose twelve free products per year
  • exclusive 50% discount on all purchases
  • renews monthly, pause or cancel renewal anytime
  • renews annually, pause or cancel renewal anytime
  • Timeless Algorithms ebook for free