Best C++ Book to get?

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++ :)

Programming Blog utf8-cpp

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

My blog - Sharing My Thoughts, An Article - Understanding Statepattern

jean genie

"C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata is well worth considering.

ednrgc

That book is a great reference, but not so great to learn the language from scratch. I would recommend getting another beginners book along with "The C++ Programming Language". Reading them side by side will be beneficial. One book that I find is a great reference also is C++ Nuts and Bolts. It's a small concise book that has been in my library for many years. If you're a programmer in another language, this book will also help you. I find myself going back to it whenever I go back into C++.

Stick

While all the books mentioned by others are great books, without a doubt, I have a better book for you if you are learning C++, and want to learn the "why" underneth the "how" which will cement your learning as you discover how each feature solves a problem. This knowledge will give you a fundemental understanding of not only how to write code (form statements and objects), but why you write it a certain way. C++ Primer Plus - Fifth Edition[^] by Stephen Prata Also, this is not enough. While you will no doubt have a very firm foundation on coding in C++, you will then need to learn OO design in order not to be simply be coding procedurally with C designs in C++. To achieve that, I highly (x10) recommend: [Head First Design Patterns](http://Head First Design Patterns)[[^](http://Head First Design Patterns "New Window")] By Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Freeman, Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates Now, while this book is in Java, the exercise of "translating" to C++ and actually writing and compiling the code will cement your earlier learning and how to really use proper OO design to solve real problems. Moreover, it will introduce you to patterns from the beginning. Then, you can tackle the STL. Good luck, Patrick

Tom Delany

I liked "The Waite Group's C++ Primer Plus". Alas, I don't think it is in print any longer, although you might be able to snag a used copy. :(

WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated.

Alan Balkany

Three of the four books I was going to recommend have already been mentioned. "C++ The Complete Reference" by Herbert Schildt is easy to follow, and complete as the title suggests. If you could only have one C++ book, this would be it. After you know the basics, there are essential and powerful concepts that make you a more effective C++ programmer, which are covered in Scott Meyers' "Effective" series. They're all good: "Effective C++" by Scott Meyers, "More Effective C++" by Scott Meyers, and "Effective STL" by Scott Meyers. (STL is a powerful toolset that every C++ programmer should know, and this book gives you what you need to really understand it.)

AKAJamie

"C++ Primer" by Lippman and Lajoie. Nothing else will do.

bje990

I found a book called Beginning C++ Game Programming by Michael Dawson Which wasnt to bad. The book teaches you not about game programming, but understanding the C++ language (The name seems misleading) . It seemed like a pretty fun read and the example in the book were pretty neat too. I bought a copy and gave it to my nephew who is just getting into programming and he loves it. I'm actually surprised because within a month of reading the book, he was being very creative with his code. I mean creative for a 14 year old. He also understands the basic concepts of O.O. Programming. Good luck in your search.

Keep Coding

Garland Frye

I recommend "Thinking In C++" by Bruce Eckel. I read several C and C++ books when I first started programming some years ago. I wanted to start with C because I figured if I couldn't code with the best then I didn't need to be a programmer. Looking back that was sort of naive approach that was fueled by the bravado that comes with youth... but I digress. The background is important because as you can see I had little programming knowlege at all but it clicked when I read "Thinking In C++" 1 & 2 by Bruce Eckel. The books are written to target an audience moving from C but they are at the same time insightful enough to cater to the people that are learning their first programming language. Granted I knew a little VB at the time but like I said "first programming language". Another good thing but not the best thing about these books is they are free online at: http://mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html If you prefer you can buy them in print form as well. Garland R. Frye

Lowell Boggs

Pardon the shameless plug of my website, but I tried to put down some of my own ideas on what it takes to become a good C++ programmer. If you are interested, see http://www.bordoon.com/Programming/index.html[^] Look under C++ Advice. Regards, Lowell

MSoulia

I agree that the Scott Meyers books are great after the basics. I've been teaching a 2nd year college programming course for several years using Absolute C++, Walter Savitch, Addison-Wesley. They've just released a 3rd edition. I usually jump from Ch 1, Basics right to Ch 6, Classes. The book is pricey, but it's comprehensive and easy to digest (taking small gulps of the 930 pages) - OOP, STLs, etc. - and it has great on-line support. I still have my old Dewhurst and Stark from the last century (shutter). From the above, I'ld check out Modern C++ Design, Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied, Alexandrescu, Addison-Wesley along with any of the previously mentioned Meyers' books.