The "external sorting" chapter of TAoCP might also be interresting in this context (5.4 in Vol. 3), even though Knuth thought that "the once-crucial topic of pa

The "external sorting" chapter of TAoCP might also be interresting in this context (5.4 in Vol. 3), even though Knuth thought that "the once-crucial topic of patterns for tape merging has become of limited relevance to currnt needs" (p. 251) due to the rapid development of disks in the 80s and 90s, so that his exposition might "be their last grabd appearance before they acept a final curtain call." Little did he know that disk would soon become the new tape... To his credit, he ended the introduction to the chapter with the citation "for all we know now, these techniques may well become crucial again."