Ask HN: Is Knuth's TAOCP worth the time and effort?
> based on its stellar reputation as one of the indispensible, foundational computer science books that every programmer should read.<p>A while back, I was joking with some friends that TAoCP is to the programming world what Finnegans Wake is to English literature: you're not supposed to read it, nobody's ever actually read it. We all just <i>say</i> we've read it, talk about how brilliant it is, and place it prominently on our office bookshelves to silently humblebrag to anyone who drops by. Sorry you had to spend $178.08 on that lesson, mate.