Not how I took that. There are large parts of his books that are difficult to read. Yes. However, they are a lot more approachable than you would think. Most of them are oddly written, but his humor is pleasant and I have found thinking of algorithms similar to how he puts them helps. A lot.

It has helped humble me though, to know that pretty much everything he presents requires study. I have had few things from his book that I just got. Most required trying several times before they clicked.

And, if you ever read some of his afterwards, there are plenty of places where he concedes mistakes he made. Is really nice to see.

You definitely don’t need to be a genius to read any of Knuth’s books. You do need to go slowly and patiently and work hard at it though (or have significant past experience / preparation).

Knuth’s work is full of dry wit, and it’s possible to spend much of the time giggling as you read.