I don't see how his work should be an exception to what people are saying otherwise. Since it is popular, as you say, it should all the more be freed of copyrig

I don't see how his work should be an exception to what people are saying otherwise. Since it is popular, as you say, it should all the more be freed of copyrights. Given Knuth's prolific bibliography, he has other revenue streams from more recent publications (including more recently published volumes). His name remains on the cover of the work, so he still gets social benefits from having written a deeply influential book (which will be even more accessible once freed of copyright!). I also don't see how $60 for a single volume seems reasonable -- most books aren't that expensive and this price point constitutes a big barrier to entry.