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C++: The Complete Reference, 4th Edition 4th Edition

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Herbert Schildt (Author)
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Herbert Schildt (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 40 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0072226805
ISBN-10: 0072226803
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Product Details

  • Series: Osborne Complete Reference Series
  • Paperback: 1056 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 4 edition (December 10, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0072226803
  • ISBN-13: 978-0072226805
  • Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 2.1 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsDidn't answer the question I bought the book for
By Amazon Customer on April 22, 2008
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
My older references are in storage and I thought it would be neat to have a c++ ref on my kindle. It says reference and the reviews are good, so I bought it.

I wanted to be reminded of how to use variable numbers of parameters for macro defines. Forget whether this is a good idea. It's a language feature and I want to know how it works.

#define with parameters is handled in one paragraph which doesn't even include the possibility of multiple parameters, let alone any details. Given this, I was curious to see if there was any discussion of the continuation-line functionality in the preprocessor. Nope. Not there.

I'm sure this is a wonderful c++ primer as the other reviews indicate. My spot check demonstrates that this is in no way a complete reference.

Even if you don't like a coding style, completeness allows you to read the code of others.

So I'm out $28 bucks and my question isn't answered. oh well.
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2.0 out of 5 stars"Complete Reference" far from complete
By Jason Roselander on March 3, 2005
Format: Paperback
I'm a developer who understands basic C++ concepts. I bought this book so that I could understand more advanced features of the language, and I've found it sorely lacking. Most topics are covered briefly and show only extremely obvious examples, which are not helpful in understanding the mechanisms involved.

This book may have some value for programmers new to C++, but its claim to be a "complete reference" is a wild exaggeration.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe nearly complete C++ reference book
By Patrick Rouse on July 7, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The first thing you should understand when approaching C++: The Complete Reference is that it is not intended to teach you how to program. As the title would suggest, this book is a comprehensive reference into the features of the C++ language. That is not to say that you can't learn C++ from this book, but if you are looking for an introduction to the language you would probably be better served with purchasing C++ How to Program or another book that adopts more of a teaching style than what you will find in Herbert Schildt's.

However, if you are looking for a book where you can quickly refresh on a topic, find out syntax for a particular casting operator or how to initialize an esoteric function you thought you would never use, this book will never leave the side of your keyboard. I have owned two copies of the Complete C++ Reference. My copy of the third edition has been highlighted, dog eared and had pages copied so many times it's bindings are more or less gone(not that this is indicative of the books quality, just my frequent abuse of it). My 4th edition copy is well on it's way to looking like the other one as there is not a day that goes by I don't open it up for something.

The book begins with a comprehensive overview of the C language, wholly separated from any C++ concepts. This section concludes around one quarter of the way through and the real meat of the book begins. After giving a birds-eye view of the C++ language, Schildt dives straight into classes and doesn't look back. Every topic is hit with vigor and tenacity until the C++ section of the book is complete. The next three hundred pages are dedicated to the STL and standard function library.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat as a tutorial and as a reference
By A. Eassa on April 18, 2008
Format: Paperback
Herbert Schildt's "C++: The Complete Reference" is a gargantuan tome indeed. It fully covers the C++ syntax, and gives useful, working examples that demonstrate each of the language's features. If you're a professional (or hobbyist) working on a project and need to quickly look up how to use some part of C++ syntax, then this book is absolutely perfect. If you're a developer who has spent his/her life working in C and want to (or need to!) learn C++, then you'll find this book's content well organized and you'll be able to find what you need instantly.

Also, this book seems as though it could function as a tutorial for the complete beginner. Now, I didn't learn C++ from this book initially, so I can't really speak from experience, but the book DOES cover the entire syntax and it does so in an unpretentious and very clear manner. The only thing that it's missing for newbies is exercises -- but if you're really serious, you'll make up your own little tasks, or try to extend/modify the examples.

I program video games as a hobby and have used this as a reference countless times in various projects. I've obviously bought other reference books ("C++ in a Nutshell", and Stroustrup's tome), but I find that this book is my most used and most beloved reference.

So, if you're looking for a clear, easy to understand reference on C++, I reccomend this tome. If you're a true C++ neophyte, then perhaps you should purchase this book along with Schildt's "C++: A beginner's Guide" or "C++ from the Ground Up" (also by Schildt).
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4.0 out of 5 starsNot complete, but a large reference
By vladox on March 1, 2009
Format: Paperback
I would give the book 3.5 stars, but we live in a world of integer stars so there goes a four star.
This is a fairly good tutorial for C++, and it does also a fairly good job as a reference. Nevertheless it absolutely fails to be a complete reference.

1. One *very important* weekness I see in this book is its utter lack of explanation on the compiler options, and how to link programs. It simply does not even mention how to create your own header files, or link libraries. This is unforgivable for a book that claims to be a complete reference.

2. The repetition of the descriptions of STL libraries like vector, string and maps is completely unnecessary. In my opinion it would be much more efficient to first introduce in depth the concepts of the STL which are hardest to chew for beginners (i.e. iterators, containers, allocators, function objects, adaptors and binders) and then describe the container classes sequentially instead of scattering descriptions over chapters 24 to 38. Furthermore, the behavior of many members of the STL libraries are exactly the same (i.e. put_back() will do the same regardless of the container), synthesizing those common features in the introduction of the STL would be extremely beneficial and it would save at least 150 pages of this book.

3. There is no mention in the book of important vanguard topics like using the BOOST library or how to include graphics libraries.

4. No mention on how to embed code, except for how to use the keyword extern in one short paragraph.

5. It would be nice if the book dedicated at least one chapter to good coding practices to improve readability (i.e. how to organize classes, aligning text in definitions, aligning parameters in functions, etc.).

6.Read more ›
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