C Book Recommendations

**ramayana** · 01-09-2006

ANSI C - E . Balagurusumy

This is the best C primer book especially if you get hold of the latest edition. Especially good for learning the basics of the language as all possible syntax of any new function etc are given and the book is very vivid in nature .This however comes with a price as some advanced concepts are not mentioned at all .If you are trying to learn the C language (which is probably the most difficult part) I strongly suggest this book.

Other than that for data structures I suggest Data Structures using C by Tenebaum

**mabuhay** · 01-12-2006

For german users:

C von A bis Z
All basics you have to know about C programming. With sourcecode-examples and lots of useful graphics.

also available as Open Book: www.pronix.de

There's also a Linux-Unix-Programming book and a book for Shell-Programming... (I haven't read them).

**joeprogrammer** · 01-13-2006

Try Visual C++ For Dummies. Only the first part is specific to Visual C++, and it goes right from the very begininning of programming, and then finishes with object-oriented.

**adrianxw** · 01-13-2006

Try Visual C++ For Dummies. Only the first part is specific to Visual C++, and it goes right from the very begininning of programming, and then finishes with object-oriented.

Of course, being C++ for Dummies, it teaches C++ not C...

**fnoyan** · 01-13-2006

Hi

http://www.advancedlinuxprogramming.com/

As the name implies, the book aims to teach programming in the Linux environment and the codes inthe book are written in C. Good for people who want to learn basics of system programming under GNU/Linux.

The book can be downloaded as seperate PDF files (one PDF for each chapter) from the URL above.

**crypto_quixote** · 01-14-2006

Sam's Teach Yourself C for Linux Programming.

Well presented and good explanations for learning C.

Out of print but still findable on amazon.com

**fgw_three** · 01-15-2006

I'm never far from my copies of K&R (previously mentioned in this thread) and Harbison & Steele's "A C Reference Manual"

It won't teach you HOW to program C, but it has all the information in one place, neatly accessible, and easy to read.

If you're just beginning, it may not seem helpful at first, but as you progress, I think you'll find it very nice to have.

**somsamge** · 01-23-2006

Try out Advanced C Programming in Unix Environment ... its one of d best book of C in Linux environment

**moonlord** · 01-29-2006

Jamsa's C/C++ Programmer's Bible [Jamsa & Krander]

1500 'versets'; I've found it really useful

**mitto123** · 02-01-2006

C PEARlS by Yashwanth Kanethkar is good for some advanced c programming.

**openboy** · 11-12-2006

The C Programming Language

**javani** · 04-03-2007

i too recommend C Primer Plus by Stephen Prata. though i haven't mastered it, but i bought it long ago and still believe that it's one of the best C Books because it provides every thing in detail and at last some tough exercises to gauge your understading. I am following it to learn C.

**dipesh008** · 08-20-2008

c programming e balagruswami

**maccat** · 02-04-2009

I'm beginning to learn C with the book "Beginning C" by Ivor Horton. The experience so far is quite good. The author explains things in detail for each of the programs used as an example in the text. The most interesting of it is that the books provides a lot of real programs - quite complicated stuffs - at the end of every chapter. For instance, when introducing arrays he exemplified this concept by writing a tic -tac-toe game, or for loops he introduced the Simple Simon game. Quite simple but real stuffs...

The only drawback is that while the book seems quite easygoing as I read (concepts, etc...) the exercises seem rather hard. When I read I find things clear, but when it comes to exercises I find it hard... Perhaps I don't understand the book thoroughly enough...?

Anyway, this is a good book I want to recommend. I assumes no previous knowledge or experience with programming.

**MK27** · 02-18-2009

I just realized I started learning C 3/4 of a year ago because (qv) WBAI's "off the hook" had their quarter annual pledge drive offering Jon Erickson's "HACKING: the art of exploitation". I knew some perl, hadn't read a really interesting book in a long time and -- being really impovrished yet, selfish, and to this day feeling guilty -- I couldn't afford their $75 pledge so ordered it at a discount from some bunch of creepy capitalists! And I still haven't finished it!

I might as well say it's the best book on computers I've ever read, as there's less than twenty of those anyway (!shame). And I just said it's ten months later and I still haven't finished it yet! I could have written a book twice this length in time it has taken me to get half way through!

So I intend to update this when I'm done. The book is not strictly on C. There is a bit of perl and shellcode, etc. I'm not and never have been interested in computer terrorism and neither is the author, who is even younger than me but claims to be a "vulnerabilty researcher and security specialist". It's a serious attempt to be exactly what I'm about to claim: a very serious introduction to the discipline using (mostly) networking and cryptology as the focus, but assuming the reader at page 1 has little to no programming experience. I would never recommend it as a language using book for anything but C, tho. But I'm recommending it hardily for C.

There's a CD and gcc and gdb and of course it's about exploitation so right away you get introduced to pointers, overflows, and what your memory is. Technically, I'm at page 241 of 473 and the left half is thick with greese. It's kind of "meta-"; a layman would need another intro C text to proceed closely thru the discussion. But the purpose really is "meta-" technical. I say this in a greatly admirationable way because i appreciate it and you might too! Of course my observations about the whole form of the thing will have to wait BUT

It's literary in it's procession, like you were investigating a mystery -- first you get let in on this stuff about memory allocation, and then you get let in on the potential exploits related to memory allocation and overflow, and how this relates to networking, including little tidbits like how a ubiquitous fencepost error was exploited in early SSH. There's no jokes or garbage, he proceeds quickly and cleanly thru the material. Sockets, network layers, a mini-web server, etc.

Mostly I think it is a very great introduction to memory management issues, including lots of practical examples in an intriguing context, for total beginners (like me) with serious intent. It would be especially great for linux types, since's that's the cd, or possibly for anyone wanting to learn linux while programming, since that's the setup.