Variable-Length Codes for Data Compression

Most data compression methods that are based on variable-length codes employ the Huffman or Golomb codes. However, there are a large number of less-known codes that have useful properties - such as those containing certain bit patterns, or which are robust - and these can be useful. This book brings this large set of codes to the attention of workers in the field and to students of computer science. The text comprehensively discusses the codes, not the compression algorithms - the latter are available in many books, but the codes themselves are normally mentioned in the literature just in passing. The authors crystal clear style of writing and presentation, which has been familiar to readers for many years, now allows easy access to the topic. Readers are only required to have a general familiarity with computer methods and essentially an understanding of the representation of data in bits and files.