The general purpose algorithm that’s not necessarily the fastest but has an upper bound worst-case runtime:

1. Pick a paper in the field ~at random.

1b. If it’s basic enough for you, you’re done

2. Read the first few paragraphs and find the most basic statement that is cited

3. Find the cited paper

4. Go back to step 1b

Occasionally you’ll hit a book as the citation, in which case you must backtrack to take a different branch of the tree and try again.

In theory this is worst-case exponential, but in practice most searches end quickly

(Excuse the pun)