Can I freely download the Knuth's 5 volume set books COMPUTERS and TYPESETTING in pdf and the source of TeX and {\sf METAFONT} that these book contain and a compiler for the sources that would understand them ?
If so, from where ?
[Tex/LaTex] Knuth’s 5 volume TeXbook A,B,C,D and E
booksknuthmetafonttex-core
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Disclaimer! This answer contains pictures that may be shocking to book lovers. Reader discretion is advised.
I picked up a spiral-bound copy from the university library. Because it must have been handled by quite a lot of (probably careless) hands over the years, it is perhaps an extreme case, but it give some good indication as to whether the book (not its immortal contents!) stands the test of time. See below, from the 4th picture onwards.
The hardcover copy I have, on the other hand, is brand new. EDIT: Relevant information about that version (the 19th printing) can be found on the third picture below.
So, to answer your questions:
- The hardcover version has a pleasantly loose binding. I haven't used my copy yet and it already stays open when placed on a flat surface without any effort. See the second picture below.
- The spiral-bound copy I'm looking at is nice to handle but is in bad shape: the frontcover is ok but the backcover is almost torn apart from the spiral-binding coil and the latter has its guts showing at the bottom.
- As far as I know, it's not missing any pages, but the last few pages do tend to come apart because of the poor state of the spiral-binding coil.
- See Barbara Beeton's answer. I might update my answer later if I find glaring differences between the spiral-bound and hardcover versions.
AFAIK no. The only authority here is the publisher; please ask this question there, although I have not found an easy way to address that question on their website... :-(
Edit: I personally doubt that DEK is satisfied with the typography of ePubs (which is essentially XHTML & CSS) and would demand PDF - and since the publisher(s) would then probably require DRM (which I presume DEK detests the same as most of us), I consider ebooks of DEK's works unlikely. Also paper lasts longer than ebooks. :-)
Best Answer
No, you cannot.
All the books in Computer and Typesetting are copyright of Addison-Wesley and cannot be distributed without permission. Knuth, however, has made all the sources to these books and his programs freely available for people wanting to learn how to use TeX and METAFONT. However the sources (of The TeXbook and The METAFONTbook, at least) make it clear that you are not allowed to try to make the PDF yourself. If you do, you are greeted with an error (and an endless loop):
Volume A, The TeXbook is copyrighted by Addison-Wesley and only the source is freely available for direct reading. The very first lines of
texbook.texsay:Which means you can read the source, as learning material, but you cannot run
texon the source. As a matter of fact, you get an error if you try to do so.Volume B, TeX: The program, is distributed in PDF (only the documented source) and you can access it with
texdoc tex, and the source is available from CTAN.Volume C, The METAFONTbook is released under the same license as Volume A. At the beginning of
mfbook.texyou see:and you also get an error if you try to
texit.Volume D, METAFONT: The program, is distributed in PDF (only the documented source) and you can access it with
texdoc -l mfand then selectingmf.pdf, and the source is available from CTAN.Volume E, Computer Modern Typefaces, is distributed scattered among the sources of the Computer Modern fonts (CTAN page). I don't know if there is an available PDF version of this one.