Rating: 
Summary: Great Buy
Review: I have only made it throught the first couple of chapters and I would like to commend the author on his explanations of some of thr more difficult concepts of C++.My only gripe is that he makes change to code he used earlier in the chapter and doesn't highlight it well, but this reletively minor and if you have been paying attention to what he talks about then you should see the changes.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the C++ beginner
Review: I had very little experience in programming, but, after reading this book, I now feel confident that I can do just about anything with this language. Another book that I suggest reading _after_ this one is Ivor Horten's Beginning C++. With the knowledge in these two books, you can become a C++ master.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY! A programming book I understand
Review: I've owned a computer since 1982 (no, not the same one, different ones). In the 7th grade they taught us a little Basic, though I already knew some from some computer magazines I subscribed to & one or two books. I've modified JavaScript code and I'm conversant in HTML. That's the extent of my programming knowledge. I've tried to pick up programming from time to time over the years but never had any success. I could never find a book that was clear. They either assumed you knew programming and were picking up a new language (like the Ivor Horton books), or started from "the gray box sitting on your floor is a computer" and I couldn't stomach the first chapter, let alone the tone of the book itself. This book, however, neither assumes you know programming (but does seem to assume you understand some of the concepts) nor talks down to you. My girlfriend, who understands much less about computing than I do had a hard time with it when she read through the intro. I read the introduction and first chapter "The Story of C++" in the store and knew this was the book for me. Chapter two is an overview and goes through some of the data types, compiling, what "(" and ")" do, what "Q$ do, etc. Really basic stuff. Chapter 3 goes over the basic data types (variables). All of this stuff was familiar to me, though the particulars and nuances are new. I would certainly need a reference until I got used to what each type was. I was beginning to worry that once I got into territory I didn't know I would find myself in over my head. That he was going too fast and what I had previously thought was concice I would find later to be not enough explanantion. Chapter 4 covers program control statements - "if" "else" "for" "do/while" etc. Again, this was largely familiar to me, but I was quickly adding to my knowledge, and once he started to cover stuff I didn't know, I found it easy to pick up. I'm up to Chapter 5 - Arrays and Stings. I trust I'll be able to add that to my knowledge just as easily as I have everything else. While I doubt I would be able to consider myself a competent programmer simply by reading this book & doing the exercises (because of my lack of "hands on" experience), I'm confident that once the training wheels are off I can be coasting in no time. I'll post another review in a few months time when I've gotten through some more chapters of finished the book (depending on my level of laziness). I've read reccomendation (on amazon) that you pick up Schildt's other book, "Teach Yourself C++" and I probably will. It's more exercise/example driven, while this one is more explanations. I also picked up the C/C++ Programmer's Reference by Schildt. I'm also interested in the C++ FAQ, both the free online version (which you should look up) and the more robust book version. They say you should find a mentor and buy three books - a "legality" guide, or what you can do, a "morality" guide, or what you should do (of which, the C++ Faq book is an example), and a "program by example" guide. Perhaps their approach is best. I'm going in without a mentor, just trying to have fun and learn something. All I know is that I found Schildt's book to be very readable and he walked the balance between being just factual and being descriptive. Maybe between the reference, this book, and the Teach Yourself book I have all 3, and all I need is a flesh and blood mentor. I hope this review helps you, I know it's hard finding a good programming book, and I'm sure it's even harder if you can't flip through it in the store. If you're like me, I think you'll really like this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The title is promising but the content lacks motivation
Review: Everyone has specific scopes of learning a prog language from a book. Mine is that the book will ideally explain all topics in a clarified manner with simple-to-difficult examples as reader proceeds. the chapter should end with some assignments and solutions at the back of the book - just like a text book, but shortened and simplified. This book is far from satisfying my scope. it explains the topics quite well, but the examples are very simple and short, and it doesn't give you exercises at the end of the chapter. My motivation to continue reading the book somewhat ends when i reached chapter 7, because i felt like i haven't mastered the basics to go on.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book! - Helped me a bunch!
Review: After buying several game-programming books and reading tons of internet programming material, I determined I was lost on a lot of C++ related topics. So, I decided I needed a stronger grasp on C++. I really like how the author starts *very simple*. Since I had a background in C, I was able to skip most of the beginning chapters. But, when we got to classes and pointers , etc...this book really shines. Buy this book! -Cecil http://www.signaldev.com
Rating:
Summary: Great Book to Really Learn Programming
Review: My criteria for buying this book over others was to really understand the fundamentals behind C++ programming independent of any particular OS (though I use Windows). Schildt's writing style also trusts that the reader is intelligent. If you really understand how PCs work but never got into programming this book is for you. The simplicity of his examples and writing style is deceptive...if you master the examples in this book you really know a great deal and have the building blocks to write a serious program. My goal was to then go onto Windows programming and I finally picked MFC Programming from the Ground Up because they flow together nicely. Reading one after the other I now write professional Windows programs. The other good thing about this book is that you can apply your new knowledge to Internet programming (CGI, even JavaScript) or for another operating system like GNOME/Linux. Because the book is based on international standard C++ you aren't confined to a particular compiler (even though you will probably be using MSVC++). I'm writing this review because it was a pain to find a good book for programming and this was really it. If you haven't programmed before you can go straight into C++ without learning "beginner languages" because in the end they all have similar syntax to learn but C++ is a professional level language that is very powerful.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow by experience.
Review: Since it hasn't been updated in style (others comment here, I have the first one) this is in a true sense a shallow book. I now why people like it. It let's you think programming in C++ is this easy. If you are serious about learning C++ go elsewhere. Do you find answers to this for instance: In what excact order do C++ constructors get called ? (hint why you should now this: Don't use anything before it's constructed) If templates have parameters, are they the same as a data type ? Does the above affect on how we write the template code using them ? Can you overload a template function. If not, how do you implement alternative different implementations for a template function ? (hint template specialisation) Can I overload a class template name ? If you use a type as an argument to a template function, what is expected of that type ? (hint: an interface expected by the template) What is template instantiation ? Did you know that templates can have type parameters, ordinary parameters like "int" and other parameters like template parameters. Can I use type and non type arguments to a template function ? Can you elaborate on the const modifier and it's real meaning ? Do you know this difference below: // const int* p This is a pointer to a const const int* p; int i=17; p=&i; *p=23; // Illegal // int* const p This is a const pointer int i=17; int j=23; int* const p; // Illegal must have initial value int* const p=&i; *p=23; p=&j; // Illegal And they are clearly not meaning the same at all. If you don't get this type of answers reading the new edition of "C++ from the ground up" You haven't been given the right foundation to stand upon. These concepts are fundamentals and let you as a novice build strong and effective programs, for template defined stacks, queues and so forth.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best C++ book you could buy
Review: If you want to sit down and read a C++ book and you intermediate level C then this may be the book for you. However it's certainly not reference book and I think you could probably get a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading title
Review: Do not purchase this book unless you can program in C or C++. I can not and was expecting a book for beginners. I used the Visual Basic 5.0 From the Ground Up book and found it to be an excellent reference for a beginner. So I ordered the Visual C++ book on line expecting it to start at the "ground" level. Instead it started at a high level. Very disappointing. I'm suprised that the publisher would use "from the ground up" in the title. False advertising in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: A must-buy for the first-time c++ programmer
Review: Like other people here mentioned, it really doesn't explain about getting familiar with your compiler or which there are etc. it assumes you know how to write code, compile it, save etc. other than that, this is an excellent book, starting from the very begining of writing text, to pointers, objects, file i/o, templates, it explains everything very clearly. if you have previous knowledge in programming such as pascal, etc. you will almost immediately be familiarized with the language, and nonetheless it takes a short time to understand most of what this book covers, which is a rather large amount. in short it's recommended for everyone on a beginner-intermediate level in C++! small tip though, when you start looking for books to learn how to program in VC++ and WinAPI/MFC etc. - do NOT buy a book entitled "Visual C++ 6 Core Language, little black book/Bill McCarty", unless you want to learn how to use the PROGRAM.. (menus, saving/loading projects, making a workspace etc.)
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