Class-tested & coherent this textbook teaches classical & web information retrieval including web search & the related areas of text classification & text clustering from basic concepts It gives an up-to-date treatment of all aspects of the design & implementation of systems for gathering indexing & searching documents; methods for evaluating systems; & an introduction to the use of machine learning methods on text collections All the important ideas are explained using examples & figures making it perfect for introductory courses in information retrieval for advanced undergraduates & graduate students in computer science Based on feedback from extensive classroom experience the book has been carefully structured in order to make teaching more natural & effective Slides & additional exercises (with solutions for lecturers) are also available through the book's supporting website to help course instructors prepare their lectures