Rating: 
Summary: Qualifies for Antique License Plates
Review: The author states that he realizes that much of the book needs major revision but he won't be able to get to it until about 2012, after he gets out the other volumes in the set. I hope he makes it! The algorithms are detailed and timeless, but they are presented in MIX assembly language, which Knuth has obsoleted in favor of MMIX, a 64 bit RISC version. If you want a book on algorithms expressed in a rather mathematical style and agree with Knuth that it's a good idea to code them in assembly language so you can see exactly how they are computed, then this may be the book for you. However, I'd recommend spending half an hour browsing the book before making a decision to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: A shelf of books
Review: This book should (and will) replace a shelf of books you have. It is just surprising how Knuth's work is so exceptionally detailed and painfully precise. These books (volumes 1,2 and 3 as of 2002) comprehensively covers various data structures (graphs, trees), numerical (Fourier transforms) and searching/sorting algorithms. One final note, this book was ranked among the best twelve scientific monographs of the century, along with: Einstein's relativity, Mandelbrot on fractals, Feynman on quantum electrodynamics... I shouldn't have to say anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and complete
Review: While weaker minds may abhor the assembly code, this book (and series) contains the most comprehensive discussion of computer topics I've seen. Knuth gives both an english-language representation of the algorithm and an assembly implementation. For those who want "pseudocode", it's there, if you can read english. However, the assembly implementation allows Knuth to discuss real-world implementation issues. This book is not easy, and probably not good for a BS CS candidate (or graduate) unless they're very dedicated. That said, the best, most experienced, and most capable computer scientists I know have Knuth and swear by it. In short, if you'd like to learn far more than a Bachelor's in CS will even touch on, buy this book. (And the rest of the series... how many people these days even know what a trie is? And no, that's not a spelling mistake.)
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