Donald E. Knuth papers, 1962-2018

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Summary

Creators:
Knuth, Donald Ervin, 1938- and Knuth, Donald Ervin, 1938-
Abstract:
Papers reflect his work in the study and teaching of computer programming, computer systems for publishing, and mathematics. Included are correspondence, notes, manuscripts, computer printouts, logbooks, proofs, and galleys pertaining to the computer systems TeX, METAFONT, and Computer Modern; and to his books THE ART OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, COMPUTERS AND TYPESETTING, CONCRETE MATHEMATICS, THE STANFORD GRAPHBASE, DIGITAL TYPOGRAPHY, SELECTED PAPERS ON ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS, MMIXWARE : A RISC COMPUTER FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, and THINGS A COMPUTER SCIENTIST RARELY TALKS ABOUT.
Extent:
43.25 Linear Feet and 4.3 gigabyte(s)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[item identification], Donald E. Knuth papers (SC0097). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers reflect his work in the study and teaching of computer programming, computer systems for publishing, and mathematics. Included are correspondence, notes, manuscripts, computer printouts, logbooks, proofs, and galleys pertaining to the computer systems TeX, METAFONT, and Computer Modern; and to his books THE ART OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, COMPUTERS & TYPESETTING, CONCRETE MATHEMATICS, THE STANFORD GRAPHBASE, DIGITAL TYPOGRAPHY, SELECTED PAPERS ON ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS, MMIXWARE : A RISC COMPUTER FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, and THINGS A COMPUTER SCIENTIST RARELY TALKS ABOUT.

Biographical / historical:

Donald Ervin Knuth's work established the analysis of algorithms as an academic field. He contributed to the development of the rigorous analysis of the computational complexity of algorithms and systematized formal mathematical techniques for it. In the process he also popularized the asymptotic notation.

In addition to fundamental contributions in several branches of theoretical computer science, Knuth is the creator of the TeX computer typesetting system, the related METAFONT font definition language and rendering system, and the Computer Modern family of typefaces.

As a writer and scholar, Knuth created the WEB/CWEB computer programming systems designed to encourage and facilitate literate programming, and designed the MIX/MMIX instruction set architectures.

Professor of computer science at Stanford University from 1968-1992, Knuth was born in January 10, 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received a B.S. from Case Institute of Technology in 1960 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1963. That same year he began to work on The Art of Computer Programming. He had initially accepted a commission to write a book on compilers which would later become the multi-volume The Art of Computer Programming. Originally planned to be a single book, and then planned as a six- and then seven-volume series. In 1968, he published the first volume.

After producing the third volume of his series in 1976, he expressed such frustration with the nascent state of the then newly developed electronic publishing tools (especially those that provided input to phototypesetters) that he took time out to work on typesetting and created the TeX and METAFONT tools. At the TUG 2010 Conference, Knuth announced an XML-based successor to TeX, titled "iTeX", which would support features such as arbitrarily scaled irrational units, 3D printing, animation, and stereographic sound.

Knuth has won numerous awards for his work, including:

First ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, 1971 Turing Award, 1974 National Medal of Science, 1979 Franklin Medal, 1988 John von Neumann Medal, 1995 Harvey Prize from the Technion, 1995 Kyoto Prize, 1996 Katayanagi Prize, 2010 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, 2010 Stanford University School of Engineering Hero Award, 2011

He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1975. In 1992, he became an associate of the French Academy of Sciences. Also that year, he retired from regular research and teaching at Stanford University in order to finish The Art of Computer Programming. In 2003, he was elected as a foreign member of the Royal Society. Knuth was elected as a Fellow (first class of Fellows) of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in 2009 for his outstanding contributions to mathematics. He is also a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

On June 24, 1961 he married Nancy June Carter (b. July 15, 1939). They have two children: John Martin (b. July 21, 1965) and Jennifer Sierra (b. December 12, 1966).

Acquisition information:
Gift of Donald Knuth, 1972, 1980, 1983, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2019.
Arrangement:

The materials are arranged in three series and subsequent accessions: Series 1. The Art of Computer Programming; Series 2. Computers and Typesetting; Series 3. Concrete Mathematics.

Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Emails are restricted until processed. All other collection material is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Literary rights reside with Donald Knuth. While Stanford University is the owner of the physical and/or digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Except materials in the public domain, any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the rightsholders, heir(s), or assigns. For more information, see: https://library.stanford.edu/special-collections-policies.

Preferred citation:

[item identification], Donald E. Knuth papers (SC0097). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Stanford University Archives, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website