C++ Primer Plus (4th Edition) 4th Edition

This is the overall best C++ book for both beginner and intermediate programmers. As a self-learning student struggling to fully understand C++, i have gone through most, if not all, of the popular C++ books. My quest for the ultimate introductory and user-friendly C++ self-learning guide finally ended when i bought this one after reading several online recommendations from experienced teachers and successful C++ students.

The author of C++ Primer Plus introduces the basic topics, without assuming prior knowledge and this approach definitely helps you to build a solid background. You can gradually assimilate and understand the basic concepts before moving on to more complex ideas and principles. The reader is taken through a steadily increasing learning curve but you should follow the order of the chapters as you progress through the book, analyse the examples and work through the problems, if you want to get a thorough understanding of those concepts.

There is an important issue that needs to be addressed regarding the 6th edition, namely, the list of errors or "errata". Honestly, the "errata" is being tagged too easily to the 6th edition, based on previous reviews, and it is unjustified for this excellent book. The apparent deluge of complaints about errors in the 6th edition isn't fair as it gives the wrong impression and it might cause a few people to shy away from the opportunity of learning from this highly instructive and overall great book.

I haven't seen this crucial piece of information mentioned anywhere, but this should soothe your mind about errors in the book; there is a second printing which was released in early 2012, and it fixed all the known errors shown on the errata page! The first printing was in October 2011 and the second printing is listed as January 2012. The short time lapse between the first and second printing is quite unusual for any book, especially one as popular as C++ Primer Plus. It clearly shows the commitment that the author, Stephen Prata, has towards keeping his work as accurate as possible. Personally, i am very satisfied with the second printing and the author's ethics are first class. I can't say the same about some other C++ authors who "manufactured" text and examples for business purposes (Deitel, anyone?) which has caused me to waste away many hours trying to get a sound understanding of how the given explanations are connected to the examples.

For those who bought the 6th edition before 2012, you most likely got the first printing. You can easily verify which printing you own, by going to page 4 (not numbered) where the copyright information is located. In my copy, the last line says "Second printing January 2012". That means, it is the revised 6th edition, and you won't have to worry about the short list of mistakes available at the online errata page. If you already own the 1st printing of the 6th edition, fear not, as you can simply visit the online errata page and seek through your book to the concerned pages/sections and manually correct the mistakes. I counted only 21 errors listed on the online errata page, which is certainly not a huge number of errors, considering the size of the book. You can find the link to the online errata page by searching on the publisher's official site at informit [dot] com. On the book's page, click on the "Updates" tab.

Stephen Prata: give the man a cheer (beer!) (or many)! This book is good...no, not good...GREAT! A book doesn't last 20 years (yes, 20) through various editions (5 obviously) without being something special. And this is no exception. This is unqeustionably the best beginner/intermediate book on C++ I have ever read (it pains me to say it...but it has dethroned Object oriented programming in c++ by Lafore, ISBN 0672323087 in that respect). Maybe it's just me, but Prata has a tone (a way) that just makes it VERY easy to relate to the concepts he is trying to explain. He doesn't belabor a point, nor does he treat you like a gumby or one of his colleagues to impress with his knowledge of the arcana of C++. He, oddly enough, seems more interested in teaching you (properly) then trying to get paid (look at the size of the book! if he were looking to get paid, cut the book in half, sell it in two parts or sell one reduced size part for the same price).

Prata offers fair coverage of the language: particularly the basics, as well as some nice software engineering opinions along the way (not in little colored boxes like Deitel with an Ant picture...which is cool: the ant analogy just annoys me- loss of identity, no individuality, part of a hive, etc...). Obviously he can't cover everything. Check out the chapter listing to see if he has what you want! But what he does cover-> the ++basics are extremely well done. There are programming exercises at the end of each chapter of course (with answers).

Prata has adopted a friendly, welcoming tone, laced with humor (not insipid humor, or just plain lame). He doesn't lambast microsoft or push any particular product/compiler. He provides little tips if you're using new or old, non-ansi-c++ compliant compilers. This is just a really helpful, useful, good to learn from book. I've read it to recover some obfuscated c++ knowledge lost from spending too long in java land (a nice, highly productive place...but just a little too safe if know what I mean: everything is fenced in and there are no pointers for self navigation!), so my opinion may be from somebody who is not a beginner. Nevertheless, having taught people, i would suggest this: this is a pedagogically sound work that offers achievement and understanding for anybody willing to step up and take a serious whack at c++. Read it and enjoy a true rarity nowadays: someting that not only lives up to its promise, but goes beyond it. This is money that is sure to be spent in a non-resentful manner: there's no buyer's remorse here! There's nothing about this book that I find weak.

Very well done Mr Prata!

Definitely Two thumbs up!

If you are new to C++, this is THE C++ you need to read. There is another book called "C++ Primer" (no plus). The following comment is what I wrote for the book C++ Primer, which may give you some idea of the difference between these two:

This is a great book for anyone who want to enhance his/her knowledge

on C++, but this is by no means a primer book. If you are new to C++,

read the book "C++ primer plus" first. It is so funny that the book

"C++ primer plus" (which is also a great book) is really an introductory

book. The names of these two books should be swapped because C++ Primer

introduces more advanced topics and the topics that an experience programmer should know but a student does not need to. From my teaching experience in a state university, I would suggest students to read C++ books in the following order:

C++ primer Plus

C++ Primer

Thinking in C++ (great book, free on the internet)

The C++ Programming Language (by Stroustrup)

Then you may want to read some books on special topics such as Visual C++, Database, etc.