Is there a good plain TeX tutorial that explains about doing automation and making layout?

Is there a good plain TeX tutorial that explains about doing automation and making layout? I am interested in learning plain TeX especially in automation: looping, conditional branching, jumping, iterating, etc. layout: creating custom smart tables and boxes that can span cross pages. What is the most often used commands for doing those above? At least I have a rough direction to the target. EDIT 1: Reading Knuth's book needs much time. I want to be more practical and instant first. Later after grasping the rough and basic understanding, I will read the Knuth's book.