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I have a printed copy of the TeXbook (from D.E. Knuth) at home. Now that I travel a lot, I don't want to take my library with me every time. Question:

Is there a legal way to obtain (=purchase) a PDF version of the TeXbook?

I know that there are non-official PDFs flying around in the internet, but I would really like to buy it.

topskip
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    An item more useful than a travel guide :) – jub0bs Apr 26 '13 at 08:09
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    Use \lstinputlisting{texbook.tex} and you will get a PDF version indirectly and legally. DEK just prevented us from texing texbook.tex but he does not prohibit us to import it into our main input file. :-) – kiss my armpit Apr 26 '13 at 08:09
  • @Jubobs but I also want to take http://amzn.com/0470192747 Michael Kay's great reference on XPath/XSLT, which is like a few TeXbooks stacked together.... But you're right, the TeXbook is surely more useful than a travel guide. – topskip Apr 26 '13 at 08:11
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    @Bugbusters; making a pdf version according to the texbook.tex file is not legal. If you look at ctan http://www.ctan.org/pkg/texbook it says: The source has pro­tec­tion against use to pro­duce a doc­u­ment: such use is only al­lowed with the per­mis­sion of the Copy­right holder and of the pub­lisher (Ad­di­son-Wes­ley). – Mythio Apr 26 '13 at 08:13
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    @Bugbusters but that doesn't contain the nice drawing from Duane Bibby. – topskip Apr 26 '13 at 08:13
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    @Bugbusters I would be very careful with such statements as they are most likely not true! Don has made the source available but under the clear understanding that it is not to be used for anything other than seeing an example (in source) on how the book was produced. There is the statement: "Permission for any other use of this file must be obtained in writing from the copyright holder and also from the publisher (Addison-Wesley)". – Frank Mittelbach Apr 26 '13 at 13:53
  • @FrankMittelbach: So printing the texbook.tex or copying it from my desktop to another computer also need permission? :-) – kiss my armpit Apr 26 '13 at 14:18
  • @Bugbusters : not if the ultimate goal is to use it as an example of .tex code. – T. Verron Apr 26 '13 at 14:46
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    @Bugbusters it seems like no one gets the joke. Hello, \lstinputlistings. Btw, I am pretty sure it is legal, albeit pointless. – mafp Apr 26 '13 at 22:02
  • @mafp: You are genius! – kiss my armpit Apr 26 '13 at 22:24
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    But if you are really serious about TeX then you should be reading texbook.tex directly. :-) – Peter Grill Apr 26 '13 at 23:47
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    @Bugbusters it is an interesting question of what is legal here, but if we talk about intent only then I agree with you DEK probably had no intention of forbidding you to produce a straight copy of texbook.tex as ascii text. However, what I was and still am concerned about is the second sentence you wrote: "DEK just prevented us from texing texbook.tex but he does not prohibit us to import it into our main input file." There are many ways to import and while your via \lstinputlisting{texbook.tex} is probably ok, others wouldn't be -- and that is what I commented about – Frank Mittelbach Apr 27 '13 at 15:45
  • @FrankMittelbach: OK. Thank you for commenting. :-) – kiss my armpit Apr 27 '13 at 15:53
  • TAOCP is available as an eBook now; perhaps someday! http://www.informit.com/store/art-of-computer-programming-volume-1-fascicle-1-mmix-9780201853926 – bombcar Mar 26 '14 at 01:49
  • @kissmyarmpit Hello. I have downloaded the texbook, but how can I make it to be the book as sold? – Y. zeng Apr 04 '23 at 11:28
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    @y.zeng: See this answer for how to buy your very own PDF. Darn, wish I had known about this before I ordered my books: the ebooks may not have been out yet, but I could have waited a few months and got the print + PDF bundles at little extra cost :-(. – SamB Mar 13 '24 at 20:58

3 Answers3

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Rather than the TeXbook, there are a number of legitimately available .pdfs which have similar content:

WillAdams
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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. :-)

Martin Schröder
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    My question was about PDF only. And I really wonder why (besides from the "no one will buy one" fear) the publisher doesn't prepare a PDF. I am afraid I have to accept your answer... – topskip Apr 27 '13 at 15:58
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    Preventing even legal owners of a paper TeXbook from making a PDF is IMHO exactly that kind of DRM nonsense you think DEK detests. – mafp Jun 27 '13 at 17:08
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The publisher Pearson started selling the TeXbook as a watermarked PDF, so now you can finally buy an official version. A 30% discount code can be found on the TUG book page.

Marcel Krüger
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