《近世计算理论导引:NP难度问题的背景、前景及其求解算法研究》对迄今为止的历史上的有关计算理论了的实质性成果作了深刻、严格而又直观的论述。为计算机科学的实质性难题NP难度问题的实现求解提出了一条现实的高效的求解途径。《近世计算理论导引:NP难度问题的背景、前景及其求解算法研究》的不同部分的不同组合可作为大学生、硕士生、博士生的教材，也可供有关的科技人员参考。

The P-NP problem is the most important open problem in computer science, if not all of mathematics. The Golden Ticket provides a nontechnical introduction to P-NP, its rich history, and its algorithmic implications for everything we do with computers and beyond. In this informative and entertaining book, Lance Fortnow traces how the problem arose during the Cold War on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and gives examples of the problem from a variety of disciplines, including economics, physics, and biology. He explores problems that capture the full difficulty of the P-NP dilemma, from discovering the shortest route through all the rides at Disney World to finding large groups of friends on Facebook. But difficulty also has its advantages. Hard problems allow us to safely conduct electronic commerce and maintain privacy in our online lives. The Golden Ticket explores what we truly can and cannot achieve computationally, describing the benefits and unexpected challenges of the P-NP problem.