The Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 1 Alive

Knuth began TAOCP in 1962 as a compiler textbook; it became the systematic treatment of algorithms the field lacked. Volume 1 (1968) covers fundamental algorithms in MIX, a hypothetical assembly whose exactness forces precision — every routine analyzed mathematically, worst-case and average-case, with exercises rated by difficulty.

Bill Gates allegedly said anyone who reads all of it deserves a job interview. The seven-volume project is now six decades in; fascicles of Volume 4B appeared in 2022. TeX exists because Knuth was unsatisfied with the second edition's typesetting.