In a few recent threads, posters have remarked or asked questions about what Websites they frequent to learn C++ (better). There have been other questions asked about what coding projects should be done in order to become more fluent in the language. Although putting in time implementing a problem can be worthwhile, it is not effective if the same mistakes & misperceptions are continued. In my opinion, writing code should be balanced with reading about the language & its features. Writing simple example applications (which may indeed be merely throw-away examples...) while studying the language is time well spent.

Although there are a number of C++ books available, I personally would only recommend a few. I saw on Amazon that Bjarne Stroustrup (the author of C++) was coming out with a new book back in December, & once I received it, I was gently surprised about what he has penned. This book is not targeted at the seasoned professional; it is targeted as a supplement to beginning students. I suspect this book was written as a reaction to what he saw at Texas A&M since he has left AT&T & has migrated to academia.

Programming: Principles and Practices Using C++ is not the typical first-year text written by people who have made a career of writing first-year texts. As the designer of the language, Stroustrup has intimate knowledge about why features were added to the language & why choices were made over other alternatives. He writes this book as an attempt to explain how programming is done in the abstract, & how one goes from an idea to implementation. The text moves from the common features to ones more complex complete with covering the STL, & how to implement generically implement a GUI through callbacks. This book isn't a quick read, but it is thorough.

Even for those with some knowledge of the language, this book serves as a practical review complete with examples and problems. In the professional talks I have attended given by Stroustrup, he is very much a pragmatist. What he says is done so for a reason. Unlike many programming texts, this latest work by Stroustrup is also filled with a number of antecdotes & explanations about why things are done as they are in C++. There is a time when lectures are dry & pedantic. I wouldn't classify this book as such; those that read it will be getting a sampling of the perspective of the guy who wrote the language, & those that learn from such a grounded perspective will be getting a lot for the time & money invested.

I can't give a complete review of this book because I haven't read it from the beginning to the end, but I have looked at enough of it to see that it is worth the time studying it -- particularly by newbies who have the goal of becoming professional programmers.

Stroustrup has introductory comments about this book at the following:

http://stroustrup.com/Programming/

I had my eyes on this book for some time.
Thanks for the review, I didn't expect anything less from the man.

Were you able to actually buy this book? Amazon lists it as "in stock", but I was under the impression Stroustrup was still working on it.

Thanks,
Lucian

Yes. 1,234 page paperback. I would have preferred a hardback, but this is a minor nit.