Books of learning C++

Since you have some programming experience I would recommend "Essential C++" by Lippman to get started and then get the fourth edition of C++ Primer also by Lippman (with Lajoie and Moo). Lippman is an authority on C++ so he knows what he's talking about.

Thinking in C++ is becoming a bit aged, and doesn't teach what is called "modern" C++ as good as the above mentioned books (on the other hand it's free).

C++ in a nutshell is a good reference to have next to you when programming, but it's not very well-suited for learning the language.

C++ by dissection I do not know. So can't comment on that one.

Another C++ authority, the Englishman Francis Glassborow, has a book out in this month which I look forward to immensely. It's called "You Can Program in C++ : A Programmer's Introduction" and as can be seen from the title it's for programmers wanting to get started with C++. Francis is some a C++ guru and can often be found on the C++ newsgroup. I'm sure this book is a blast (I'm getting it even though I already program in C++).

I learned on Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days, and I think it's a very good book, I had found it online originally (not sure if they're legal copies or not, but a Google search will turn up all sorts of them, though I do prefer a real book over a online one)

Pros
- Very good writing, including some in-depth looks at not only how to use C++, but why certain things are the way they are.
- Nice and modular, each "day" is self contained
- Starts teaching good object-oriented design right away, which keeps newbie programmers from making all of the big mistakes early

Cons
- The worst name ever. 21 days my ass!
- Barely touches on the STL

I suggest you just look for books by Deitel and Deitel. They are by far my favorite authors, every book I have by them is very good, they also have good online resources to help out.

theTroll

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Original post by rohde Since you have some programming experience I would recommend "Essential C++" by Lippman to get started and then get the fourth edition of C++ Primer also by Lippman (with Lajoie and Moo). Lippman is an authority on C++ so he knows what he's talking about.

I just read the introduction to Essential C++ and his thoughts seems so simple yet great: Learn how to do it know, learn how to understand it later. I guess that should make this book "fun" to read since I should be able to start preyy fast and not easily get tired of C++.

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Original post by JBourrie- The worst name ever. 21 days my ass!

I know exactly what you mean, I learnt ASP.net through one of the 21 days book :P It did not take that short of time.

You are posting this question on gamedev.net forum, wich is why i will suggest you "Beginning C++ Game Programming" by Michael Dawson.

One book I would recommend is C++ Primer Plus by Prata. It is a very good book for learning C++. I think right now it is around its 5th edition. He is a very straight forward writer and gets all his points across really well. He also provides lots of examples so you get to write alot of hands on code.

'Dummies' books always worked well with me, so I'd suggest C++ For Dummies. This book was pretty good primer for me.

The C++ Programming Language (third edition or four if it is present i don't know) by Bjarne Stroustrup.

Who is Stroustrup? Stroustrup is a father of C++.

But C++ is quite a hard language to start with, probably you should start with C# or something. But if you get ahead with C++ all other languages will become piece of cake.

Beginning C++ Game Programming - Michael Dawson

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Original post by blewisjr One book I would recommend is C++ Primer Plus by Prata. It is a very good book for learning C++. I think right now it is around its 5th edition. He is a very straight forward writer and gets all his points across really well. He also provides lots of examples so you get to write alot of hands on code.

i'll have to 2nd that i liked that book very much

Teach yourself CPlusPlus in 24 hours is a really good book. Although 24 hours i doubt it . I got given the book about 3 months ago and decided to actually read it and see how long it took me and I have not long finished it. But dont be fooled by the names like 24 hours and 21 days, if you buy a book just take your time reading it dont act as if its a chore reading it, just have fun.

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Original post by DigiDude Beginning C++ Game Programming - Michael Dawson

Yup I second that since I own that book too and beats out all the others listed in original post.
Covers all you need to start with c++, games and even stl!
Will have you programming in C++ the way it was intended in a modern way not using arrays but vectors,etc.

I completly aggree with JBourrie. SAMS Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days was very well structured, and taught OOP concepts early on, and stuck to them throughout it. Barely touches on STL, which makes me sad, and I don't know how useful it would be for a reference book... the order of teaching I frown at.

But on the whole, I am very critical, it taught me C++ very thoroughrly (thats not spelt right). No game-programming concepts, which is where it might not suffice.

I laugh at their 21 days though...

I would like to thank you all for your tips.
The book I'm going for right now is Essential C++ since it seems to be a great introduction to C++. The reason I'm not choosing "Beginning C++ Game Programming" is that even though game programming is my goal, I would like to master as many aspects as possible in programming, meaining I want to be able to create about anything I would like to.

If you are going to go with a Lippman book I'd highly recommend C++ Primer 4th edition instead since that is a beginner's book.
Not to mention Lippman himself claims it is his best C++ book to date since he had time to figure out what to put in and cut out of a c++ book.
Essential C++ which I also have is definitely not a beginner's book and is geared for the programmer that want's to program c++ in a modern style and want's to learn all the essentials.
Here is a quote from the book:
"For the practicing programmer with little time to spare, Essential C++ offers a fast-track to learning and working with C++ on the job. This book is specifically designed to bring you up to speed in a short amount of time. It focuses on the elements of C++ programming that you are most likely to encounter and examines features and techniques that help solve real-world programming challenges."

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Original post by Zyndrof Teach yourself C++ in 21 days

This is the best grammar book I've seen. Not many tips, not fun to read, but IMO an essential.

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Original post by Zyndrof C++ in a nutshell

This has a lot of tips. Useful when C++ is not ur 1st language.

Sometimes I find older books easier to comprehend, because they assume less. It is very difficult to write in a way that assumes the reader doesn't know the things that you know. I'm sure you've seen examples like "this is so easy, I'm not going to even explain it". Anyway, my favorite C++ book is Stroustrup's TC++PL.

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Original post by simon10k Anyway, my favorite C++ book is Stroustrup's TC++PL.

Is that a good book for a beginner? In cprogramming.com's list over books to walk from beginner to expert that book is the sixth and last one.

I just got done with C++ Without fear by brian Overland. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn C++ with no previous programming experience.