<p>I had a painful experience with the "Analysis of Algorithms" classes back in college but have recently found a need for it in the <em>real world</em>.  -- Anyway, I'm looking for a simple-yet-effective crash course.  Any ideas?</p>

<p><em>Related Sidenote:</em>  It sure would be nice if there were a "Cartoon Guide to Algorithm Analysis", taught by Dilbert.</p>

<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong>  A very similar question can be found at: <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/366418/how-to-get-started-on-algorithms">How to get started on ALGORITHMS?</a></p>

There are a lot of good books on the subject.  I like
An Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms
.  Also check out the algorithms course on
MIT OpenCourseWare
(using
CLRS
as the course text).  It's a little bit deep, but having it online allows you to go at your own pace.
A couple of other books that I've started reading recently are
Algorithms in a Nutshell
and the
Algorithm Design Manual
.  They both take a lighter approach than most algorithms books.  Instead of heavy math and formal proofs these books give you realistic problem statements and show you the steps taken to refine an algorithm.  They also show you how to
estimate
and
measure
the complexity of a solution.  I would highly recommend either book.