I worked through Chapter 1 back in college, now over a decade ago, with a professor of mine one summer. It was a great introduction (and led us to <i>Concrete Mathematics</i>) for me to a lot of topics regarding algorithmic thinking and discrete mathematics.<p>That said, I <i>never</i> worked through the remaining chapters of the series, and likely never will. It&#x27;s a reference book. Read the sections as they pertain to you. For instance, TAOCP was my introduction to sorting networks. This led to direct, measurable, improvements in a few embedded programs (where consistent, deterministic behavior, and optimal behavior, were strongly desired).<p>I mean, few people ever <i>read</i> a dictionary. I still have one on my desk at home and at the office. This isn&#x27;t substantially different (though I do recommend skimming it so you are aware of what resources it contains for later reference).