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Summary: The Art and Science of C
Review: I thought this was a wonderful beginners book. It gave me the basics and then allowed me to go on and try new things by myself. By the end I really felt like I could write my own programs in C.I only gave it four stars because I am a harsh grader and its a textbook, so you can't give it five.
Rating: 
Summary: Uh, hello..
Review: If this book confuses you, you probably should reconsider doing computer science. This is the most straightforward, accessible and articulate book on programming I have ever read. Roberts is a very talented teacher. But talented teachers evidently require talented students.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Is Terrible
Review: If your teacher leaves much to be desired, do not turn to this book for help. Because the author uses his own libraries throughout the book, it is difficult to learn the real structure of a lengthy program. I found this book to be one of the most worthless books I have ever read.
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Summary: More than just coding
Review: Is it your dream to become an excelent programmer?
Are you going to studie computer science? If you can answer only one of these questions with yes, then this book is for you! But why is this book superior to other books of the same subject?
It helps to develop the right mindset needed to become a true computer scientist not just a programmer.
The use of libraries and abstractions from the beginning (this can not be emphasized enough; ihave seen people building there own Java-packages with the same functionallity than the builtin ones, just because they were not able to use what was already there!). It is written in a style that shows that E. Roberts is an excelent teacher. For teaching basic software engineering and developement techniques.
Some reviewers have mentioned that the syntax of C is hidden away (to far?) from the student because E. Roberts uses his own libraries. I think it is a reasonable approach, for an introduction, especially when the language is C, but even more important, students learn to reuse code through modules and libraries.
The complexity of the hole language can be teached later, after reading the successor of this book by the same author, by diving into the sources of the libraries. After reading these two books by E. Roberts you have prepared yourself for the further studie of computer science and computer languages
Rating: 
Summary: Too simple
Review: Like a previews reviewer wrote the librarys used were written by the author and they hide the true definition of c language.I mean when you finish this book and go to a more advanced level by choosing another book which uses the standard libraries then you will be confused.
Rating:
Summary: Too simple
Review: Like a previous reviewer wrote the librarys used were written by the author and they hide the true definition of c language.I mean when you finish this book and go to a more advanced level by choosing another c book which uses the standard libraries then you will be confused.
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Summary: Superb book for the programming beginner!
Review: Not only have I read the book, but I've actually taken a class taught by Eric Roberts. The man's method of teaching is amazing, and I feel that his book is an excellent guide for anybody who needs a soft introduction to the programming. His examples and practice questions are creative and meaningful, and his sample code is clear and concise.
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Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!
Review: Please, please, do not buy this book.
I am a Grad Student at NIU and we use this book for the basic C class here. This book is useless! Most of the book needs the "specially made for the book" header files included with it to run the C code; therefore the book does not teach real C. If you go on to any thing higher in Computer Science this book will be of no use to you, due to the way it is written. ...DO NOT BUY BAD C BOOKS LIKE THIS!
Rating:
Summary: confusing
Review: Roberts uses his own library to hide detail mechanism in C programming. For some people, it is easier. However, I disagree. I think, for most beginners, it is a source of confusion that he does not use the standard library. It is very important that he needs to keep consistency with other books and the standard library.
Rating:
Summary: Roberts' approach is wonderfully simple and logical.
Review: Roberts' approach is wonderfully simple and logical. He provides libraries that hide complicated language features until the student can cope with those features. Because the details are hidden, Roberts can concentrate on one topic at a time and eliminate confusing digressions. For instance, the student has a GetLine() function available from the very first chapter of the book -- long before the student is equipped to deal with I/O, strings, arrays and pointers. The writing is clear and concise. The illustrations -- especially the memory maps -- are well thought out and very helpful. Among the many reasons to consider this book is Roberts' other fine book, Programming Abstractions in C. There must be scores of first books in C, but few second books. Together they provide an excellent introduction to C.
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