i am very new to programming, in fact i know next to nothing about c++. i just bought a book called "beginning C++ through game programming 2nd edition" by michael dawson. can anyone give there input on this book or any other books for the very very beginner. thanks in advance peorge

That is actually the book I learned on. I think it is very good and I would highly recommend it. I still use it to this day as a reference.

The book itself might be very useful for beginners who want to enter game programming. As a book for learning C++ itself, its definitely not going to be very good.

peorge, if you're looking for a book that teaches you C++ well, don't rely on game programming or "in 21 Days" type of books. I tend to recommend "Accelerated C++" by Koenig and "C++ Primer" by Lippman. A number of experienced C++ programmers should second those recommendations, but others may have other preferred books.