On a CS-theory level, there's a fair amount of stuff he can learn in terms of just "thinking", but it won't come very close to being able to putz around with co

On a CS-theory level, there's a fair amount of stuff he can learn in terms of just "thinking", but it won't come very close to being able to putz around with code and watch it fail. Suggestions for absolutely no computers: * CLRS, the classic. (I just skimmed the intro, though, and if he has no background in uni-level maths, it might be a little tough to digest.) * (maybe) the Head First series (as someone else suggested). I'm wary of suggesting it not just because I have no experience with the books (I only even mention it because I know they're ubiquitous), but also because bad habits are formed early, and this could do that. * Patterson and Hennessy - Computer Organization and Design (5d.) * Sebesta - Concepts of Programming Languages (11d.) (but only after finishing some of CLRS, and even then I don't know how appropriate this is) ===== What kind of experience did he have with computers before he went in? Depending, you may be able to make recommendations about stuff relevant to what he's used. ===== Can you get him something like a TI-84? Because even that will at least allow him to go in and write TI-BASIC.