It depends on the user and the usage. In some cases reading these books doesn't yield the best return for the investment of your time. Consulting the literature

It depends on the user and the usage. In some cases reading these books doesn't yield the best return for the investment of your time. Consulting the literature that Knuth refers to, rereading and working through the examples, writing your own code could give you so much more. Volume 2 is within arms reach on my desk. After reading the book and additional literature over the course of several years, the book is filled with sticker notes. Over time my usage shifted from reading TAOCP to rereading (and changing) my notes. > Would you still recommend this book, and if yes, in what circumstances? Everyone in math/cs should at least know about the existence of theses books. A rough, cursory knowledge of the content is essential, so that one can look up things if there is the need to really understand a specific topic. TOACP should be considered as one of the best and most important/influential science books of the last century.