VIII · Classics & longform
The Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 1–4
What it does
The encyclopedia of algorithms. Volume 1 (fundamental algorithms), 2 (seminumerical), 3 (sorting and searching), 4 (combinatorial). Volume 5 still in progress.
Who should read it
Reference, like CLRS but deeper and with more history. The MIX assembly notation puts most readers off; that's fine — read for the prose and the math.