> my parents won't let me spend my pocket money on them This sounds like a larger problem. Unless they're trying to get you to invest it or something "responsi

> my parents won't let me spend my pocket money on them This sounds like a larger problem. Unless they're trying to get you to invest it or something "responsible," it seems like a red flag that someone as interested in computing as you appear to be would have parents stifling their learning. On a more useful note, there are some good courses available on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=algorithms&languages=en&categories=cs-programming,cs-theory https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=algorithms&languages=... Both the Stanford and Princeton intro courses there don't appear to require nonfree texts. Also, I wouldn't worry about a course being "old." Algorithms don't really go out of style, outside of some advanced topics like concurrency and architecture-specific design. Algorithm texts from the last century (or perhaps even earlier, if you look at number theory work by ancient mathematicians) are totally useful and relevant today.