An amazing work. Requires more concentration than I routinely muster, though, so I'm only making progress in fits and starts. ( )

There's no doubt that this is a landmark publication in the field of computer science, but it's tough going. The material is only really suitable for an advanced undergrad or graduate student. A command of basic calculus, combinatorics, and probability is a prerequisite to many of the chapters. Also, you should already know a good deal about how computers work and how to program. This is not an introduction to any of those subjects.

Knuth's style is a little strange (geeky?) at times, but the presentation is well organized and well motivated. Also, his credentials are undisputable.

Unfortunately, I think the applicable material in these books is starting to show its age. The discussions don't always apply to a world of huge system memories, fast-and-cheap CPUs, etc.

With that said, reading these books and mastering the content would be a worthwhile accomplishment for any student of computer science. There are many footnotes to excellent papers. Even at over a thousand pages, Knuth does a good job showing you that these volumes are still just a starting point. ( )