Question about C++ book.

[ihatestarch]

There were a few book recommendations I saw on the web for c++. The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference -- I want to purchase this book, but it was published in 1999. Is there a more current book like this or is it one of those things that never change and it's a timeless piece I should read?

Also, C++ Primer Plus was another. It was published in 2004. I keep seeing this title thrown around a lot with good reviews although I'm unsure of purchasing b/c of the publishing date. Currently I only have my textbook, which is How to Program, by Deitel. I'm not a fan of it, I feel like it can be a terrible read sometimes.

(Also, I've checked out the post on books here, those seem dated as well, but I was wondering if I should get them or get something comparable and current)

[ncwolfe]

I only know about two textbooks: the Deitel book and this one by Tony Gaddis. Of the two, I think the Gaddis book is a much better book to learn from. It's not as in-depth as the Deitel book, but it's a much better read and it's far easier to actually understand what it's trying to tell you. The Deitel book covers more territory and goes more into depth on everything, which makes it more like a reference manual than really something to learn from. It's kind of like trying to learn to speak English by reading a dictionary. As far as supplements to textooks, I'd like to hear some good recommendations too.

[ihatestarch]

It's kind of like trying to learn to speak English by reading a dictionary..

You couldn't have put it better. I finished up the second programming class of my life, wanted to solidify whatever knowledge I gained and recently thumbed through the first couple of chapters of Deitel's book. I thought to myself how in the world did I understand where they were going with this? And I didn't really--I rarely used it the whole year. Definitely not a user-friendly-beginners-how-to book... at least not for me.

[jonsca]

C++ Primer Plus is a great text, I have an old ("well loved") 1998 copy still kicking around and while it doesn't have the latest features of the language it's published after ISO so it's got the standard flavor and what I think are a lot of solid examples. Check out the latest version on Google books (there are pages omitted for copyright reasons but you'll get the idea) to get a better idea if it's a good one for you to get.

I don't want to weigh in on the BS book because I don't have much experience with it but check out his website which I think has a lot of the good tidbits of his writing.

[Bench]

Have a look at these reviews. The books listed are generally considered 'best of breed' beginners books in the C++ community
- "Accelerated C++": http://accu.org/index.php?module=bookrevie...ch&rid=1185
- "You Can Do It!": http://accu.org/index.php?module=bookrevie...rch&rid=470
- "C++ Primer 4th Ed": http://accu.org/index.php?module=bookrevie...rch&rid=778
- "Programming: Principles and Practice using C++": http://blog.cplusplus-soup.com/2009/02/pro...d-practice.html