Indeed, it's a reference work. I've read through the first volume cover to cover, but that's probably not the best way to use TAOCP. When you're interested in a

Indeed, it's a reference work. I've read through the first volume cover to cover, but that's probably not the best way to use TAOCP. When you're interested in a particular algorithm or topic, go find it and read that section. If you're interested in modern architecture details, I'd recommend Agner Fog's marvelous reference books (http://www.agner.org/optimize/ http://www.agner.org/optimize/).