Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0201548488, Paperback)

This new edition of C++ Primer, a favorite choice for a first C++ book, has been greatly improved with the latest and greatest on C++, stressing the built-in language features of the C++ Standard Library. For this new version--weighing in at a massive 1,237 pages--Stanley Lippman, a well-known C++ expert, teams up with Josée Lajoie, who has helped define the C++ international language standard. The new material is excellent for programmers who want to get the most out of new and advanced features in the language.

The authors still introduce the basics of C++, including data types and pointers, but quickly move on to stress how to get the most out of the built-in features of ISO-standard C++. Throughout this book built-in support for the C++ Standard Library, such as container classes like vectors and maps, and other standard features, such as the string class, are integrated into a tried-and- proven basic-language tutorial.

The major new features of C++ (templates, name spaces, and run-time type identification) all get their due. The result is an authoritative guide to basic and advanced C++ in a clear and readable style, with plenty of short, practical examples throughout the text. The book includes exercises--some quite challenging--for every section: a perfect choice both for self-study and the classroom. --Richard Dragan