Best C++ Book to get?

bob16972

Code2326 wrote:

"The C++ Programming Language" by Bjarne Stroustrup

That's good to have but quite difficult to learn from. Ivor Horton has good books if your using VC++ to learn with. "Object-Oriented Programming in C++" Fourth Edition by Robert Lafore is good for non-compiler specific C++. "C++ The Complete Reference" Fourth Edition by Herbert Schildt is definitely a keeper for a reference as the name implies. "Effective C++" Third Edition by Scott Meyers is a must have after you get the basics down. "Professional C++" by Nicholas A. Solter, Scott J. Kleper complements Meyers book by including some leassons learned and good advice. "C++ Programming: From Program Analysis To Program Design" by D.S. Malik was ok but I had some issues with the presentation. The author does make an effort to distinquish "Standard C++" with "ANSI/ISO C++" but I think Schildt does a much better job at this. "The C++ Standard Library - A Tutorial and Reference" by Nicolai M. Josuttis is a tough read but has been helpful from time to time. Anything by Herb Sutter is an aquired taste as he attempts to impose some hard to swallow restrictions. Thumbing through his books at the bookstore usually yields enough information since you can skim through the tips listings to find what interests you.

Code2326

I'm actually surprised that no one mentioned "C++ How to Program, 5/e" from Deitel, ISBN: 0131857576. I thought it might be a good book since it has diagrams and such, and plus, Deitel books usually have thousands of pages (I don't know if that's a good thing). I may be wrong here, but are books from Deitel good? P.S: The books you mentioned, does it have diagrams? -- modified at 17:45 Thursday 31st May, 2007

Christian Graus

You can't go wrong with that book, but unless you have a background in computing, start with something more basic, then move on to that one.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog "I am working on a project that will convert a FORTRAN code to corresponding C++ code.I am not aware of FORTRAN syntax" ( spotted in the C++/CLI forum )

Code2326

Christian Graus, what basic book would you suggest?

Maxwell Chen

For C++ syntax: I started with the book "C++ From the Ground Up" by Schildt which is very suitable for a beginner. And I think another book "C++ Primer" by Lippman is good --- except one defect: this book does not teach the use of member functions of struct. For Visual C++ IDE, MFC, CLI, etc.: "Beginning Visual C++" by Horton is a nice book to start with.

Maxwell Chen

Maxwell Chen

Code2326 wrote:

I'm actually surprised that no one mentioned "C++ How to Program, 5/e" from Deitel, ISBN: 0131857576. I thought it might be a good book since it has diagrams and such, and plus, Deitel books usually have thousands of pages (I don't know if that's a good thing). I may be wrong here, but are books from Deitel?

I was looking into this book after you mentioned. It looks nice.

Code2326 wrote:

P.S: The books you mentioned, does it have diagrams?

Only the book "Beginning Visual C++" which he mentioned has some diagrams; The others don't.

Maxwell Chen

bob16972

Code2326 wrote:

P.S: The books you mentioned, does it have diagrams?

The Addison-Wesley books (Meyers, Josuttis) don't use diagrams as much as the others. I liked the Deitel book for Java as it touched on many concepts but it did not dig deep enough into any particular subject. A Co-worker has the "C++ How to Program" but I can't recall if he likes it or not. He has referenced it a time or two during our discussions so I'd have to guess it's been of some value to him. The price of the Deitel books is pretty excessive. Addison-Wesley and Morgan Kaufmann published books are usually higher priced as well but they usually only jump $5 to $15 more than others when Deitel jumps $30-$40 more than average. Color diagrams and cute pictures of Ants can only justify so much in terms of price margins. In a nutshell, I'd have to say, there is no single book that even comes close to covering every angle needed. I probably have 80 or more books on C/C++ related programming and while some get picked up more than others, each one has something to contribute.

Christian Graus

Depends entirely on the user. For someone starting from zero, 'teach yourself C++ in 24 hours' is a good pick.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog "I am working on a project that will convert a FORTRAN code to corresponding C++ code.I am not aware of FORTRAN syntax" ( spotted in the C++/CLI forum )

Giannakakis Kostas

No one mentioned Thinking in C++ by Bruce Eckel? These are very good books and I believe they are suitable for a beginner. Plus they are available online. However, a hard copy is essential for a new learner.

Johann Gerell

Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example[^], by Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo.

-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel

rockonedge

For me, Bruce Eckel's "Think in C++" was the first light to understand C++. Josuttis M. Nicolai's "The C++ Standard Library : A Tutorial and Reference" was the first hand book to code against. Bjarne's book was the last judgement to undstand any doubts - I have an e-book version to search for the answers I wanted.

Najeeb Shaikh

I would recommend "Thinking in C++" by Bruce Eckel; it's the kind of book that gives you not just an understanding of C++ syntax, but also a good grounding in thinking in OO style. In fact, you can download it for free from here. Stroustrup's TCPPPL may be a bit heavy for a beginner. However, once you have a solid understanding of the basics, you can go back to it as a reference book.

Najeeb Shaikh

modified on Saturday, July 10, 2010 3:18 AM

Lost User · modified on Saturday, July 10, 2010 3:18 AM

I used Learn C++ in 21 Days alongside a university course and it was incredibly helpful (if a little basic). I would suggest this for the first couple of weeks then read any material you can get your hands on whlst trying a few mini projects. Hope this helps. Dan

Ady_MFC

C/C++ Programmers Bible, Jamsa Press :^)

Lost User

Very good choices!

koalafirat

Owen Astrachans "Computer Science Tapestry" is good to begin, http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/tapestry/[^] in this link i think you can find the free pdf of this book.

Andrew Pearson

Is it possible to talk you out of learning c++? unless you are an embedded person then I would not recommned c++ these days. In saying that, the way i learnt c++ was by doing. These days your best references are the c++ faq (google it) and very basic c++ book, like one of the sams versions. If you pick it up, you will go beyond the basics. A good mentor helps a lot. If you do not have a mentor then news groups and forums are the next best thing. But, c++ is an aweful language. Its pretty much an OO veneer over assembly (which i also know :). Its easy to write bad code, and its hard to write truly robust code. Without a critical senior person to constructively provide you guidance c++ can be a dangerous thing. IF you dont have a good reason for learning c++ then dont.

Nemanja Trifunovic

See my Amazon.com list[^]. Enjoy C++ :)

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The_Great_Gonzo

Being a bit tight (:-D) I always look on line when starting out with a language so if I find it's not for me then I don't have a book gathering dust. When I started C++ I used Thinking In C++ (Bruce Eckle) found here. It was a good book which gounded me well before heading off to other books most of which mentioned above. Hope it helps

Oh, uh, good question. Now technically speaking, uhh, let's say, put me down as a... 'Whatever'?

Sarath C

One more. C++: a hands on approach by Eric Nagler

-Sarath_._ "Great hopes make everything great possible" - Benjamin Franklin

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