Henry Warren

Henry S. Warren Jr. is an American computer scientist and author best known for Hacker’s Delight, a widely admired book on bit-level algorithms, integer arithmetic, and clever programming techniques. He is often referred to as Hank Warren, and his writing is especially valued by programmers who enjoy understanding how things work close to the machine.

According to author bios published with his books, he spent a long career at IBM that stretched from the era of the IBM 704 to PowerPC systems and beyond. Those same bios say he worked on military command-and-control systems, the SETL project at New York University, and later in IBM’s Research Division on compilers and computer architecture. He also earned a Ph.D. in computer science from New York University.

What makes his work stand out is the way it blends deep technical knowledge with a playful spirit. Hacker’s Delight, first published in 2002, became a classic because it collects elegant shortcuts, programming tricks, and hard-won insights in a style that rewards both curiosity and precision.