Rating: 
Summary: Not Up to Date -
Review: This book does appear to cover a lot of material with very nice layout and explanation of C type material. The problem is that it does not utilize object orientation very well, and it still uses the old C-style headers and commands where it should be using the new ANSI C++ ones. I have experience with Java and Smalltalk, and Pascal, but no expereince with C and have no desire to learn C. This book teaches C++ and object orientation as a secondary thought to C. Clearly, the authors took a good C book and converted it into a C++ book without considering the user. This would be fine except that learning bad style is a waste. But once again it covers a lot of material well, but not correctly. I have not found a good book yet, and if the material were correctly updated, this could go to a 5 in a second. Lets hope for a good 3rd edition.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the best book I've found for learning C++!
Review: As an experienced programmer, I'm always learning new languages or building on the ones I already know and use. I signed up for a two part course on C++ taught by a local university and this book was our text book for both courses. Keep in mind that I've read several books on C++, this book was heads and shoulers above the rest. Reading this book is almost like having a teacher show you the way! It covers C++ from beginning to end in an easy to follow fashion. It starts out on the level of a complete novice teaching the basics and history of computers and builds from there. The examples were complete, understandable programs. I think this book is great and I would recommend it to anyone! I've decided to buy Deitel & Deitel text books whenever possible. I just started on their Java How To Program text and it promises to be just as good as the one on C++!
Rating:
Summary: Simply awesome!
Review: What you get for the hefty sticker price is quality instruction throughout the book! This is certainly the book of all books for the beginning programer. You get crystal clear concepts, guidance through highlighted text and Q&A to keep your mind thinking! It kind of reminds me of a school textbook.., maybe it is?
Rating:
Summary: Convolution at its worst
Review: When I took a course in "C++ Programming" at a local community college, _C++: How to Program_ was the required text. The first thing that caught my eye was the cover that had pictures of bugs dancing about happily with smiles on their faces. As a Computer science student: software bugs are hardly a laughing matter. So, if I run into a snag and reach for the ol' C++ book: The last thing I want to look at is a bug smiling at me. I think it was a very bad judgement call (design wise). Secondly, this book has a lot of excess baggage. For example, how many people purchasing a book on C++ would want to bother reading the section entitled "What is a computer?" And most importantly: the examples are over convoluted. Instead of having short and concise code snipplets. they have to write complete programs for just about every point they make. They also have some questionable coding practices (some of which I've actually seen in other textbooks). The main one being how they declare functions by only showing the types of the parameters without the identifiers). Plus, there is some material that this book just glosses over. And whatever it does cover, it does so in a very unstructured fashion. And finally, as I read the book: I remember feeling as if the authors were talking down to me. Perhaps it is their tone & writing style. At any rate, If you are looking for a good book that presents the C++ language in a concise matter only showing examples that are directly to the point: look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A mediocre book that turns out mediocre programmers.
Review: First the good news: Book layout is attractive and, except for some code samples, very easy to follow. Exercises and vocabulary lists make it easy for students to do self-review. The way tips and summaries are highlighted in boxes makes it easy to double-check something quickly. The bad news: The index is terrible. I have used this book many years ago when I took a C++ course and I have taught from it in two courses in the past year. In that time I have found what I was looking for in the index literally not more than three times. There are misleading or downright inaccurate statements throughout the book (especially in the chapter on streams) and many of them have not been fixed in the second edition. The main problem: the book provides a guide to C++ syntax, not to C++ programming. Syntax is obviously vital in an introductory text, but literally half the text is over before anything concrete is mentioned about OOP. The examples of classes are divided into two categories: standard, clear-cut classes like stacks and queues, which are written well but fail to teach even basic real-world design issues and decisions, and more "realistic" classes like a blackjack game which are designed badly and look like C code summarily stuffed into a class. I have yet to see any student who learned C++ from this text actually be able to take even the most trivial toy problem and design a reasonable class structure to solve it on his own.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the beginner
Review: I read this book as school material. While this book will teach you C++, it assumes that you are very familliar with C (ie. a few years experience), and I would not recommend it for beginners. My major gripes were: - This book has tips that are written in between paragraphs; some of these assume advanced knowledge and can be more confusing than helpful. - Sometimes tends to be repetitive (told about the need for function prototypes numerous times - once is enough!) - Some examples are implemented with aspects that are only covered later in the book -Many paragraphs mention things without explaining them, but then say 'this will be covered later' (ie what the point of mentioning it? ); this only adds to the confusion of the cryptic descriptions in the book. - Some exercises ask you to use functions that are only mentioned/coverted later in the book - not very detailed in what they want in the exercise, student is left to figure out what the author means (no solution provided, nor on website). Descriptions are cryptic at best sometimes. - Some exercises are difficult, and the book assumes you've been taught everything you need to know to do them, this is not always the case, and this gets fustrating as you try to do some exercises (and going back to previous chapters doesn't help, given how cryptic the book is sometimes); you may have many unfinished exercises with this book. It does have some good points though: it has a very good chapter on data structures, although Trees are well described, the examples that makes use of them are not explained clearly. Also most exercises are interesting (for example, building your own language and compiler), so don't think of this book if you're lazy. In short, it will teach you C++, if you know C very well to start with, but it is definitively not for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: This 2nd edition of Deitel and Deitel is well worth the read, however be warned you MUST READ IT. It is unlike a lot of other texts where the information is presented in isolated compartments, in this book the authors take a more narrative style, and to get the best out of the book you must read all of the topic to find the gotchas. Even so the book is one of the best I have seen, the coverage is excellent and readers will gain a very very good understanding of material, as the text is very detailed (but easily understood) and is illustrated with relevant illustrations, particularly in traditionally hard to convey topics like pointers, pointers to arrays an pointers to functions. This book has the best explanations I have yet read on pointers, templates and operator overloading. In fact the book is worth buying simply on it's treatment on function overloading alone (The best I have seen). The book also contains common programming errors, testing and bugging tips, performance tips and common programming errors. These are set apart with pictures of little ants in various poses to make them stand out which will greatly enhance your programming skills and add insights to the way code is developed and analysed. Deitel and Deitel also take the time to explain program development techniques like psuedo code and flow charting so better code can be developed. If your are a neophyte or experienced programmer you will benefit from this book.
Rating:
Summary: c++ how to program
Review: comment: I have recently purchased C++ How to program by Deitel. This book is exceptional, no other book that I have seen comes close to this text for readability, structure, and above all an interesting layout. I have found that other C++ books, even the more popular ones, are often poorly written and extremely boring to read - with these books I often had to read the page four or five times to understand the concepts they were trying to put across and then found myself drifting off to sleep. Deitel has produced an excellent text, which believe it or not, I find hard to put down once I have started reading it - it's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Great Programming Book for Beginners
Review: I bought this book not knowing anything at all about C++ and after reading all the way through it a few times I feel that I have learned a tremendous amount of information. It is easily the best C++ or programming book I have ever read. Buy this book if you are willing to learn and work hard.
Rating:
Summary: An Okay Book
Review: This was the required textbook for 2 semesters at my college and I was rather disappointed with it. I really wanted to learn c++ but I found it nearly impossible using this book. The wording is aimed at someone who already knows c++ and wants to either refresh their memory or gloat that they can understand these sentences. In my opinion, if you already have a good grasp of programming terminology then go ahead and buy it. Otherwise, try to find a book more aimed at a beginner.
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