C++ Primer 5th Edition
I went trough the forums looking for a programming book for beginners. I came across C++ Primer 5th Edition and I went to amazon to look for this book. But in the reviews they say that they would not recommend this to novice. So is it or is it not a good book for novice?
Thanks
Thanks
I'd advice to look through this thread : http://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/the-definitive-c-book-guide-and-list
C++ Primer is listed in the beginners part of the thread but on the amazon reviews they say its for intermediate level people..
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Previous editions of C++ Primer did have a caveat about not being suitable for beginners, I'm not sure if that still holds for the fifth edition. It may be heavy going in some areas to start with but you can always ask questions here to get guidance.
Well, if you ask me I'd say that you may read it (what I feel after going through the contents). It has a really nice explanation style.
Haven't gotten the chance to look at the 5th edition of the book but do have the 4th edition. From my experience it is just fine as a beginner book but their are betters one out there if you are looking for a structured learning approach.
What I mean by that is C++ Primer is more of a reference book then a book that will take the reader through a structured learning experience in my opinion.
Will it still teach a complete beginner how to use C++? You bet, and it does quite a good job at it, but in my opinion there is better books out there for beginners to start with to get the hang of things first then grab this book to dig deeper into what they know.
My suggestion would be to buy this book along with another beginners book like "Accelerated C++". Use the other beginners book as your main book that you will read front to back and then use C++ Primer as you secondary source and reference book. I think Accelerated C++ and C++ Primer are a great duo for beginning C++, one is a lot more fast paced in it's teaching and covers a lot of subjects very quickly while the other (C++ Primer) goes much more in depth on each subject so is great for explaining things more in depth if you need it.
It is always good to have multiple sources available when learning. For example Accelerated C++ (Or whatever book you choose) might explain something in a way that you might not understand, in which case you can look in C++ Primer to see if it explains it in a better way for you.
Also just wanted to touch on the Amazon reviews portion. Personally I never ever trust anything that amazon reviewers have to say when it comes to programming. Instead I will do my research on the book on programming sites instead like StackOverflow and here. I am not saying all reviewers on Amazon don't know what they are talking about, I would just rather get my advice somewhere that is more dedicated towards programming.
Overall I say C++ Primer is a great book for beginners but when it really shines is when it is used with another more fast paced book like Accelerated C++.
Hopefully this helps a bit.
What I mean by that is C++ Primer is more of a reference book then a book that will take the reader through a structured learning experience in my opinion.
Will it still teach a complete beginner how to use C++? You bet, and it does quite a good job at it, but in my opinion there is better books out there for beginners to start with to get the hang of things first then grab this book to dig deeper into what they know.
My suggestion would be to buy this book along with another beginners book like "Accelerated C++". Use the other beginners book as your main book that you will read front to back and then use C++ Primer as you secondary source and reference book. I think Accelerated C++ and C++ Primer are a great duo for beginning C++, one is a lot more fast paced in it's teaching and covers a lot of subjects very quickly while the other (C++ Primer) goes much more in depth on each subject so is great for explaining things more in depth if you need it.
It is always good to have multiple sources available when learning. For example Accelerated C++ (Or whatever book you choose) might explain something in a way that you might not understand, in which case you can look in C++ Primer to see if it explains it in a better way for you.
Also just wanted to touch on the Amazon reviews portion. Personally I never ever trust anything that amazon reviewers have to say when it comes to programming. Instead I will do my research on the book on programming sites instead like StackOverflow and here. I am not saying all reviewers on Amazon don't know what they are talking about, I would just rather get my advice somewhere that is more dedicated towards programming.
Overall I say C++ Primer is a great book for beginners but when it really shines is when it is used with another more fast paced book like Accelerated C++.
Hopefully this helps a bit.
@CodeGazer
Thank you for the very detailed information. I will be getting both books to study c++
Thank you for the very detailed information. I will be getting both books to study c++
There are 2 different book, C++ Primer and C++ Primer Plus.
C++ Primer is more for beginners while C++ Primer Plus is for people with more experience.
C++ Primer is more for beginners while C++ Primer Plus is for people with more experience.
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