The first edition of C Programming: A Modern Approach was popular with students and faculty alike because of its clarity and comprehensiveness as well as its trademark Q&A sections.
Professor King's spiral approach made it accessible to a broad range of readers, from beginners to more advanced students. With adoptions at over 225 colleges, the first edition was one of the leading C textbooks of the last ten years. The second edition maintains all the book's popular features and brings it up to date with coverage of the C99 standard. The new edition also adds a significant number of exercises and longer programming projects, and includes extensive revisions and updates. |
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Editorial Reviews
Review
... this book will be well received because of its unique approach to the presentation of the material; it is full of examples and insights. King does not stop--as many others do--in merely explaining how the C programming language works. His well-written and well-organized book is full of advice and explanations of best practices in how to use the language most effectively. One of the most welcome aspects is that King identifies C programming 'idioms,' explains when the idioms are applicable, and shows why they are useful. The book is aimed at people with no prior programming experience, yet it is quite comprehensive in its treatment of the majority of C programming concepts. It is up-to-date in that it also covers the information needed by a C programmer in using the standard C library... -- Choice, September, 1996
A few years ago, I decided to switch from Fortran (which I had used for over 20 years) to C. I purchased about a dozen different books purporting to explain how to use the C language. Most were densely unreadable, few had a usable index, and some were riddled with errors. Now comes the book I really wanted... It is apparent that this book was written by someone who has spent time teaching the subject. The writing style is entertaining and clear. There are many good examples... Best of all, the index takes you right to the part of the book you need--it is not too sparse, and it is not cluttered with irrelevant references. The first time I picked up this book I quickly found the solution to a file-reading bug which had perplexed me for months. I am placing this book at the top of my heap of programming texts, and I am recommending it to all of my programming colleagues. -- Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences, September/October, 1996
The exceptional value of the book lies in the fact that the material is well structured and is made accessible to anyone with minimal programming experience, to those unfamiliar with C, and even to those who do not know any programming language... The book accomplishes the author's stated goal of making it the ideal classroom textbook with examples... Reading this book was extremely useful, both because I have discovered new things in it and, first and foremost, because it has helped me to restructure my knowledge of C. -- Computing Reviews, February, 1997 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
A few years ago, I decided to switch from Fortran (which I had used for over 20 years) to C. I purchased about a dozen different books purporting to explain how to use the C language. Most were densely unreadable, few had a usable index, and some were riddled with errors. Now comes the book I really wanted... It is apparent that this book was written by someone who has spent time teaching the subject. The writing style is entertaining and clear. There are many good examples... Best of all, the index takes you right to the part of the book you need--it is not too sparse, and it is not cluttered with irrelevant references. The first time I picked up this book I quickly found the solution to a file-reading bug which had perplexed me for months. I am placing this book at the top of my heap of programming texts, and I am recommending it to all of my programming colleagues. -- Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences, September/October, 1996
The exceptional value of the book lies in the fact that the material is well structured and is made accessible to anyone with minimal programming experience, to those unfamiliar with C, and even to those who do not know any programming language... The book accomplishes the author's stated goal of making it the ideal classroom textbook with examples... Reading this book was extremely useful, both because I have discovered new things in it and, first and foremost, because it has helped me to restructure my knowledge of C. -- Computing Reviews, February, 1997 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
K. N. King (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) is Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgia State University. He is the author of Modula-2: A Complete Guide and Java Programming: From the Beginning.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By Bob Nelson
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I ordered K.N. King's ``C Programming: A Modern Approach (Second Edition)'' from Amazon for my recent birthday. Having had more birthdays than I care to admit, this gift to myself is right up there with a Lionel train set I got for my eighth birthday (not from Amazon, of course -- it didn't exist that long ago but passengers trains sure did :)).
In this second edition, I think that KNK is now the logical heir to K&R. That's not meant as blasphemy -- Kernighan and Ritchie's still great volume is around 20 years of age and it's unlikely they'll be getting together for K&R3. The C language has undergone enough changes (with the amendment of 1994) and C99, that a ``Modern Approach'' really is needed.
There's another author familiar to readers of the comp.lang.c newsgroup for his approachable, engaging writing style. That author is a wonderful writer but doesn't let the truth get in the way of good narrative. King, though, is an equally engaging writer but is obviously passionate about correctness and adhering to the C standard. He's also meticulous about portability so that the examples are written in pure C and not some platform-specific variant.
I've the entire book and can find hardly anything even nitpick. Aside from a minor style difference about using parentheses with the ``sizeof'' operator, which King explains his rationale for doing so, that's about it.
His explanation of C99 (and the differences from C90 are clearly indicated) made me aware of some really nice features of the current standard for the language (and makes me wonder why one very notable compiler implementer hasn't yet supported C99).
In short, get this book. The Q&A sections at the end of each chapter are very well done. The exercises and programming projects help to amplify the material presented. And King's examples will teach you more about barcodes and ISBN numbers than you ever thought possible.
If you can appreciate the work of a fine craftsman in film such as Martin Scorsese, you'll find that King is of that caliber in the realm of lucidly dealing with this technical subject.
In this second edition, I think that KNK is now the logical heir to K&R. That's not meant as blasphemy -- Kernighan and Ritchie's still great volume is around 20 years of age and it's unlikely they'll be getting together for K&R3. The C language has undergone enough changes (with the amendment of 1994) and C99, that a ``Modern Approach'' really is needed.
There's another author familiar to readers of the comp.lang.c newsgroup for his approachable, engaging writing style. That author is a wonderful writer but doesn't let the truth get in the way of good narrative. King, though, is an equally engaging writer but is obviously passionate about correctness and adhering to the C standard. He's also meticulous about portability so that the examples are written in pure C and not some platform-specific variant.
I've the entire book and can find hardly anything even nitpick. Aside from a minor style difference about using parentheses with the ``sizeof'' operator, which King explains his rationale for doing so, that's about it.
His explanation of C99 (and the differences from C90 are clearly indicated) made me aware of some really nice features of the current standard for the language (and makes me wonder why one very notable compiler implementer hasn't yet supported C99).
In short, get this book. The Q&A sections at the end of each chapter are very well done. The exercises and programming projects help to amplify the material presented. And King's examples will teach you more about barcodes and ISBN numbers than you ever thought possible.
If you can appreciate the work of a fine craftsman in film such as Martin Scorsese, you'll find that King is of that caliber in the realm of lucidly dealing with this technical subject.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Some years back, someone mentioned the first edition of this book on Usenet as a possible alternative to K&R for someone trying to learn C. I was surprised, but I got a copy of the book to find out... And he was right.
Let me get the biases out on the table first: I did technical review of this book for the 2nd edition. But... While that leaves me in a great place to be biased about it, it also means that I'm aware of just how few typos or bugs were there even in the draft versions.
This book is an excellent teaching resource; it covers the language carefully, completely, and well. However, mere clarity of communication isn't enough to make a good programming reference; you also need to have confidence that the example code works as described, that the explanations given are correct, and so on. This is one of the only books out there I feel comfortable recommending to people, without worrying that I'll end up having to correct dozens of misconceptions later.
Quite simply, this is the C book I recommend to people who want to learn C, or polish up their C. In a market full of "approachable" books which are full of errors, this book offers a combination of clarity and accuracy which is unmatched.
Let me get the biases out on the table first: I did technical review of this book for the 2nd edition. But... While that leaves me in a great place to be biased about it, it also means that I'm aware of just how few typos or bugs were there even in the draft versions.
This book is an excellent teaching resource; it covers the language carefully, completely, and well. However, mere clarity of communication isn't enough to make a good programming reference; you also need to have confidence that the example code works as described, that the explanations given are correct, and so on. This is one of the only books out there I feel comfortable recommending to people, without worrying that I'll end up having to correct dozens of misconceptions later.
Quite simply, this is the C book I recommend to people who want to learn C, or polish up their C. In a market full of "approachable" books which are full of errors, this book offers a combination of clarity and accuracy which is unmatched.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Skyward
Format:Paperback
There is no other way to put it. If you want to learn C programming, this is the only book you need. Don't bother mixing bits from different books or sources. Just get a copy of the 2nd edition and read it in the presented order, from chapter 1 and move on progressively. The explanation is very clear and the questions actually encourage you to find the right reasoning and develop your thinking skills, so you "think" like a programmer. I didn't know anything about programming and this book marks a landmark in my life, as it allowed me to truly appreciate programming and the power of code by being a developer.
I would have expected a 3rd edition by now, containing the minor fixed errata with more questions and examples (it's been 4 years since the 2nd edition was released), but the 2nd edition is very well presented and until the 3rd edition comes out (probably 2013 or later), this book is the best in its class. Buy it and you'll never regret it.
I would have expected a 3rd edition by now, containing the minor fixed errata with more questions and examples (it's been 4 years since the 2nd edition was released), but the 2nd edition is very well presented and until the 3rd edition comes out (probably 2013 or later), this book is the best in its class. Buy it and you'll never regret it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Basic C
I have looked for a beginners book and this is it. Slightly verbose in sections and that's what makes it stand out from the others. Overall, no other book is needed for beginners.
Published 18 days ago by Thomas H. Burdick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product!
Very thorough explanations and examples all throughout. Author is very consistent. This book was my saving grace in a course that lacked an understandable instructor. Read more
Published 1 month ago by tydrummer1
5.0 out of 5 stars
'C' forever!!
It's great for learning & as refresher!! It's written in a classical way. Q&A sections are excellent. And C99 flags
are quite helpful.
are quite helpful.
Published 1 month ago by SB
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best "Language" Book I've Yet to Read.
I've read a few "language agnostic" books and a few "language-specific" books over the past 2 years. There is generally a wide schism between these two types of books. Read more
Published 2 months ago by helloWorld
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for beginners
I bought this being a starter in C proggraming. I have found it very easy to read it. Its expensive, but its really worth it if you want a good study book on the subject. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Memo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book for C learners
This book is really great, very thorough and detailed. I loved it. Expensive but worth every penny I paid for it. No regrets at all!
Published 4 months ago by oawad
3.0 out of 5 stars
fairly decent
this was a required book, so i had no choice. there are better books out there, but this was ok.
Published 4 months ago by Love Ionizers
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book with activities acquiring more outside the box...
The 2nd edition is a better choice. It contains Q&A which brings much more insight going beyond just the mechanics of the language itself. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Elizabeth S. Mabrey
5.0 out of 5 stars
good
I feel it's reasonable to spend less than 70 dollars to get a brand-new book.
And book arrived on time.
And book arrived on time.
Published 11 months ago by good book
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book
An excellent book for self learning. Very well organized. Recommend to all who wants to learn c even with no programming skills.
Published 12 months ago by turalismayilzade
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