I should note that, while TAOCP is absurdly important in CompSci, it's probably not a good starting point. I'd recommend Corman's book on algorithms first, and

I should note that, while TAOCP is absurdly important in CompSci, it's probably not a good starting point. I'd recommend Corman's book on algorithms first, and maybe getting your feet wet with Knuth's Concrete Mathematics ( if only as a more gentle introduction to his style).