Thinking in C++

I've been writing in C++ for about five years now (and in C for about ten years before that). Reading this book changed me from a C programmer writing code that the C++ compiler would (eventually) accept, to a programmer who "thinks in C++".If you seriously want to learn C++, and you know "C", read (and re-read) this book, and you'll know more than 90% of the people out there who call themselves C++ programmers. I can say that, because I've "tech screened" many, many dozens of alleged C++ programmers; about 5% were competent. Work your way through this book, and you'll never be embarrassed during a code review!

Thinking in C++ patiently and methodically explores the issues of proper use of the C++ langauage. Thinking in C++ is the one C++ book you must have if you¡¯re doing serious development with C++.¡±

I would have mentioned its value as an intro to object oriented programming in my summary, but ran out of space. I've investigated many languages, and never has the learning process been so intuitive and clear as with this book. 5 kudos here.

This C++ text manages to challenge and inform at the same time. The author places C++ in a clear context. If you are uncertain about exactly what object oriented programming is and why you should use it, the author demonstrates his points through methods and examples. While you are learning C++, you are also learning to understand the object paradigm. This book is clearly written with meaningful exercises and interesting coding examples. An impressive achievement!

As a reasonably experienced C programmer faced with learning C++ I was very impressed with this book. Bruce Eckel takes each C++ feature and demonstrates not only how to use it but how it makes your code better and your life as a developer easier. He takes every opportunity to explain how to get the best use out of C++ and how to make sure your code is efficient as well as elegant. Every C++ feature is covered in this book, from simple improvements like references and constants to multiple inheritance. Where relevant the way C++ compilers implement these features is also explained, which can often help cement your understanding. Aside from the technical merits of this book, Bruce Eckel also has a great writing style and knows how to keep this material from becoming too dry or too intense to keep up with. In summary, if you want to know why C++ is better than C this book is superb for the job. Not only does it make that clear, it will make you into a good C++ programmer.