C++ Programmer's Guide to the Standard Template Library

True, a great deal of the material contained within these pages is now available online. But, having this volume at your desk for handy quick reference to the basics of using the standard template library (STL), is a necessity for anyone hoping to utilize the STL potential. The book is organized in a way that makes sense to experienced software engineers - with container template introductions in one section followed by algorithm introductions in another. The final section contains the STL specification. It is a reference I would not be without and find that I am loaning it often to others who have also noted the benefit of having so much STL information in one volume. A must have for every C++ professional.

If you have started using STL heavily and need to know how it works, this book is a must have.(albeit outdated). I have not come across such an easy to read C++ book in years.Somehow the experts save Scott Myers,tend to hide the crucial details ,may be because its too obvious for them, not Mark Nelson. The code used in the book is not exception safe, but the basic ideas still hold. I really benefited by keeping a copy of the latest STL headers open , and read the text. Wonder if the author will ever redo his work to adjust to the latest STL. Nevertheless its indispensable for the intermediate C++ programmer trying to think like an expert.

The book is kinda old and slighty out of sync with the latest achievements of the C++ standard-makers, and yet it is the best tutorial book on the core STL there is: no hype, lot of smart and relevant sample code, good explanations (really detailed and indepth). I keep using it and I'm very happy. Not one from among the latest flood of the stl books (Josuttis, etc.) is even close to the usefulness of Mark Nelson's book -- one can only wish he issued an update. I've revisited this review on 02/19/2007 -- and everything I'd said originally still holds: whenever I need to really understand how STL things come together, I got to Nelson's book, Josuttis doesn't cut it, he's too superficial, it's a headers dump rather than a good explanation. Not a bad book (and it's more up-to-date), but not in the same league. I'm amazed at the fact that there's a bunch of used copies offered above for buck-fifty. Whoever works with C++ and uses STL must have this book. I really mean it!

Unlike some authors, Nelson doesn't oversell the STL or try to defend its most ill-advised features and peculiar terminology. He addresses the readers as respected colleagues with whom we wants to share some exciting information.The 21 chapters are orgazized into three main parts: I. Introducing the STL II. The essentials: containers, iterators, algorithms, functions.III. The public interface: reference information If you're a experienced C++ programmer, the first two parts are must reading. The third part is a bit too detailed and repetitive. The index is comprehensive, and definitions are provided for important terms (exception: "algorithm complexity" and O(n) notation, concepts well known to Computer Science majors but not to every practicing programmer).

If you want to learn about STL, read this book. It covers everything you need to know and includes the code for the HP implementation (which is far better documented than Microsoft's offering). The examples are clear and well explained