C++: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition (Paperback)

by Herbert Schildt (Author) "If there is one language that defines the essence of programming today, it is C++..." (more)
Key Phrases: return newset, return updated set, using namespace std, Progress Check, Ask the Expert, Introducing Functions (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Essential skills made easy! Written by Herb Schildt, the world's leading programming author, this step-by-step book is ideal for first-time programmers or those new to C++. The modular approach of this series, including sample projects and progress checks, makes it easy to learn to use C++ at your own pace.

About the Author
Herbert Schildt (Mahomet, IL) is a leading programming author. He is an authority on the C, C++, Java, and C# programming languages, and a master Windows programmer. His programming books have sold more than three million copies worldwide and have been translated into all major foreign languages. He is the author of numerous best-sellers including, C++: The Complete Reference, C: The Complete Reference, C++ from the Ground Up, Java 2: The Complete Reference, Java 2: A Beginner's Guide, C#: A Beginner's Guide, The Art of Java and many more. Schildt holds a master's degree in computer science from the University of Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 2 edition (December 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072232153
• ISBN-13: 978-0072232158
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,817 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome guide for beginners, June 25, 2007

By	J. Swanson "prindle_okc" (Midwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is exactly what it purports to be....A Beginner's Guide. It's not written as an extensive reference nor does it completely cover every topic addressed in the book. What it does do is it gives beginner's a way to get started in the language. C++ is a huge language and very complex. This book is an introductory text to be used by any beginning programmer, even if you've never had experience programming in any language before.

This book will probably not appeal to programmers that are already familiar with C++. If you are a programmer in another OO language like Java, then you may find this book helpful but I think there are better alternative.

When I was beginning my CS degree, I had no prior knowledge of C++ and this book saved me because the writer's style is very laid back and verbose. He explains most topics adequately but not completely so often I found myself turning back to the course text book for additional information. However, his style of writing is very easy and non-patronizing. He doesn't expect you to already know what a function is nor the difference or similarities between a pointer and an array. He explains this all for you and doesn't require the reader to make leaps in logic to assimilate the concepts. Those leaps can come later....beginners need to learn how to solve problems and build up their confidence in programming....this book does that.

The value of this book lies not in it's complete coverage of the language, the value comes from how the author presents at least one solution to most programming problems and then moves on to other topics. It does weigh in at around 550 pages, including the index so it's not a pamphlet by any means.

The chapters are laid out in a very organized fashion that really helped me assimilate the information. In order, they are:
1. C++ Fundamentals
2. Introducing Data Types and Operators
3. Program Control Statements
4. Arrays, Strings, and Pointers
5. Introducing Functions
6. A Closer Look at Functions
7. More Data Types and Operators
8. Classes and Objects
9. A Closer Look at Classes
10. Inheritance, Virtual Functions, and Polymorphism
11. The C++ I/O System
12. Exceptions, Templates, and Other Advanced Topics.
Appendix A. The Preprocessor
Appendix B. Working with an Older C++ Compiler
Index

Through out the chapters there are also projects where you can try out what you've just learned and if you get stuck, there's a step-by-step walk through of the solution. There are also progress checks that question you about what was just covered. This constant reinforcement/repeating of the material is what really helped me learn the subject.

I used this book through both my beginning and advanced C++ classes and data structures class. I still refer back to it from time to time but not as much anymore...I've since found other, more complete references.

I highly recommend this book to any newcomer or anyone that's tried other C++ books and still doesn't "get it". I do not recommend this book to those that are already familiar with the language as it's likely to be too long winded for them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a good start for a beginner, November 12, 2008

By	Matthieu Penant (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews

This book does not cover the basics of c++. The exemples often contain errors or memory leaks. Memory management doesn't seem to be a big concern for a big part of the book, though it might one of the tricky part of c/c++ you should learn as soon as you learn c++ basics, especially when more and more people learn programming without this concern.

C++ Primer Plus (5th Edition) is a far better starter with better exercices and covers even more topics in a beginner-friendly way. Meyers Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs (3rd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series), More Effective C++: 35 New Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) and Effective STL: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Use of the Standard Template Library (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) would be the next step for a solid C++ apprenticeship.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST C++ BOOK, June 4, 2008

By	Kevin Collins "killjoy" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I own several C++ book and thats normally because each one has it's own strengths and weaknesses, but Huber Schildt's C++: A Beginner's Guide is an amazing book. This guide is a great starting point to c++, everything is clearly explained, the examples are perfect for demonstrating the topics being explained, and everything used in the book is ISO/ANSI standard C++ so you know that your complier will run the code you learn to write from this book no matter what system you run as long as it follows the set standards (which is most compliers after 1998 I believe). If you are looking for a book that explains everything (why do you start the program with int main() or what is a name space) this book is the best for you. This book does not explain too much or too little. I carry this around with me everywhere I go <3