Thread: Help choosing C++ book

  1. #1
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    Help choosing C++ book

    Hi, I'm planning on learning C++ by myself. So, I'm looking for an introductory book to learn C++. I have a little experience with C, however I want a book that starts with the basics of C++ and explains everything in a very simple manner. I have checked out the "Books reviews" section in this site, but non of the C++ books in there seem to be recommended for begginers. Which book do you recommend for me ?

    Any help is appreciated. Thank You.

  2. #2
    VA National Guard The Brain's Avatar
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    Dietel and Dietel always get's a good response.
    • "Problem Solving C++, The Object of Programming" -Walter Savitch
    • "Data Structures and Other Objects using C++" -Walter Savitch
    • "Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers" -Kip Irvine
    • "Programming Windows, 5th edition" -Charles Petzold
    • "Visual C++ MFC Programming by Example" -John E. Swanke
    • "Network Programming Windows" -Jones/Ohlund
    • "Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 Hours" -Michael Morrison
    • "Mathmatics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics" -Eric Lengyel

  3. #3
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    1) "C++: A Beginner's Guide"(Schildt)

    2) "Sams teach yourself C++ in 21 days"

    3) "Ivor Hortons Beginning C++"

    It sounds like 1) might be the best choice for you.

  4. #4
    unleashed alphaoide's Avatar
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    Yup, Deitel will give you some hands-on experience
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846
    source: compsci textbooks, cboard.cprogramming.com, world wide web, common sense

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    I don't know if his current book is good or not, but Schildt should be ignored completely for all the beginning programmers he misled in previous books full of incorrect or outdated information.

  6. #6
    For Narnia! Sentral's Avatar
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    I am using an old college C++ Programming book. If you can find one of them, that would be great. This book is using the Borland compiler, which I really don't like. But it is very useful from time to time. It includes some problems to work through, and has the answers in the back to check your work . If you can get access to a college book, that would be the best choice IMO.
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  7. #7
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    Try a board search as well - people are forever asking for book recommendations.

  8. #8
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    I second the recommendation of Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days, by Jesse Liberty. I liked it because it was easy to understand and it's well structured for self-study with questions & exercises at the end of each "day" (chapter), and answers & solutions in the back. But, I always include a WARNING - Some people hate all of the "21 days" books.

    I don't own it, but Accelerated C++, By Koenig & Moo is often recommended, and I've NEVER read anything negative about it.

    I don't know what the deal is with Schildt. He does have a bad reputation... Someone said that he couldn't possibly have really written 100+ computer books himself, and I think they have a point. I have a Windows programming book by Schildt, and that particular book is quite good (but outdated now).

  9. #9
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    "The C++ Programming Language" is a good book as well.
    To code is divine

  10. #10
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    I don't know what the deal is with Schildt. He does have a bad reputation... Someone said that he couldn't possibly have really written 100+ computer books himself, and I think they have a point. I have a Windows programming book by Schildt, and that particular book is quite good (but outdated now).
    I just finished his Beginning Java book, and I thought it was excellent. It wasn't a rigorous dissection of the Java language, which is a good thing for beginners and people who don't want to commit a lot of time to drill down into a lot of details, which is what I was looking for. If you want an easy overview of the language with lots of examples and exercises with answers at the end of each chapter, then I think it is a good book. I would imagine his beginning C++ book is similar.

    My personal experience is with Ivor Horton's Beginning C++. However, it is a pretty rigorous overview of C++, and a lot of people complain the examples are too difficult because of all the math. The math didn't bother me, and I thought the author's explanations of C++ concepts were excellent.

    I started with "Sam's teach yourself C++ in 21 days", and I threw it in the trash after a couple of days because I found it so frustrating. On the other hand, a lot of people really like that book. I don't know if current editions have gotten better, or whether some people just don't recognize the ommisions of key points in a lot of the explanations.
    Last edited by 7stud; 06-09-2005 at 12:52 PM.

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  12. #12
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    The C++ Programming Language" is a good book as well.
    Yeah, it's a great book! And its way-cool to own the book by the creator of C++ (Bjarne Stroustrup). But, this is NOT a beginning-programming book! It seems to be a beginning C++ book for experienced C programmers & advanced computer science majors. In 2005, how many experienced C programmers need a beginning C++ book????

  13. #13
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    OK, thanks guys. I just went to the bookstore and purchased C++ A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition, by author Herbert Schildt. A couple of you recommended it to me, so I sat down at the bookstore, read the first few pages of the book and overviwed the first couple of chapters and the index, and decided it was a good choice. I like the way that it is structured, how it starts from the very basics, and how it has tables that organize important C++ information which I know I will have to go back to every once in a while. The bookstore had quite a good selection of C++ books, so I was able compare between all the other ones that you recommended. But I felt like all those other books were made for more experienced programmers. The one from Schildt looks very simple. They had Deitel but that one was a bit expensive. Plus, I've already used Deitel to learn C in a college course and I learned more from the professor than from reading the book. This time I'm gonna learn C++ by myself. OK now, time for me to get reading and compiling.............................

  14. #14
    Skunkmeister Stoned_Coder's Avatar
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    You should have bought accelerated c++ rather than any book by schildt. Did you read the reviews at ACCU?
    Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
    And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi

  15. #15
    He's trying.
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    Does anyone have experience with Absolute C++?

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