This is an excellent book for self study. However, there are parts in this book that must be rearranged or deleted. For example, I think Catalan numbers should be deleted. This might be useful for the matrix chaining problem, but that's in the realms of algorithm design (specifically in dynamic programming). Also, I do not understand why Grimaldi sandwiched in a chapter on Finite State Machines between two chapters on Functions and Relations. Maybe he should make a section on languages for FSMs, but I recommend Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation if you want to learn about FSMs.