The C++ Programming Language Special Edition by Bjarne Stroustrup
Published February 2000
List Price: $74.99, Your Amazon.com Price: $59.24 Addison-Wesley Price: $56.24
Average rating:
Amazon Sales Rank: 4,587
First of all would people please stop calling it the "definitive reference", the "definitive reference" manual for C++ is the current C++ ISO standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2003) which costs less in electronic form.
Calling Bjarne's book "just a reference" doesn't do his book any justice, there is much more to this book than a "reference manual".
One of the best programming books I have ever read! After only reading the first two chapters, I can already say I have learned more about C++, and programming in general, than I have from any of the other books, tutorials, or program. This is a great second book, and very nice for those who want to really get into the language.
I found this an extremely useful book for learning or reference (I used this book for both). It covers the standard library in glorious detail.
The section on design is also excellent, I learnt a lot about program design from this.
The exercises in the book are very useful, with a good range of difficulty.
This book has gotta be the best C++ reference out there. Since it's created by Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, of course it's going to be a great book. Though, it's not a good book for a novice and it says right in the beginning chapter "This book is nowhere near novice friendly and should not be used to learn C++". This book teachs you every aspect of C++ functions, and how to use them. If you've gone through a book like the C++ Primer or Teach Yourself C++ is 21 Days, this is definately the book to follow through with.
Ofcourse, this book is not a learn-from-the-bottom-up text. And it does not say so. This book is for finding all the special features and complex parts of C++. And the ones that may take your skills further.
If you wan´t to make any decent program, especially games, read AND UNDERSTAND this book.
This book has answered every esoteric question I've been able to come up with. One of the best parts of the book is the index. It's over 40 pages long and appears to include everything. If I need an answer to a C++ question, it's the first place I turn. One warning, though. It's definitely not a book for people new to C++.
The ultimate reference book. Since Stroustrup created the language
itself he should know every aspect of it as well as his own mind, I can
tell this is the case after reading the book. I can highly recommend
this book as a reference and for learning the more advanced
aspects of the language. You'll have a better insight in where,
why, where not and why not you should use the different methods
and tools provided in C++, including the STL. It is, however, not to be
recommended for newbies. Anyone giving this book a rating lower than
8 must be doing so because of lacking skills. Read it!
Sure this book was written by the man who created C++, but for someone who wants to learn C++ and have a good reference, I'd choose Deitel & Deitel's C++ book (can't remember the name off the top of my head).
My main problem with this book is the lack of decent examples and that it is a bore to read.
This book is THE reference for C++, and is written by the creator of the language. Structured like a textbook, it covers ALL aspects of the language. (ALL of them… do you know what 'mutable' means?) Not only does the author tell you HOW to use the features of C++, but when to use them, and more importantly, when to avoid their use. I highly recommend this book for intermediate to advanced users. Very complete in its description, and platform independent.
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