The Indispensable Guide to C : With Engineering Applications

Rating:
Summary: indespensable but too bulky
Review: After browsing through the pages of the book, I found it covering some very basic topics, understandable by a novice programmer like me, but because of the bulk , it makes one feel overwhelmed by the number of pages he/she has to read to get a good grip on c functionalities. Although the book is quite good and the author presented the topic in a visual manner full of diagrams, it wasn't written as a type where you must read the chapters sequentially. Instead, one must read the chapters through and forth, forwards and backwards because the explanation focuses much on engineering applications and have too much unimportant explanation.

Rating:
Summary: It is trully Indispensable. Best book on ANSI C ever.
Review: As part of our undergrad curriculum for Electronics & Communication engineering we had to learn two programming languages. ANSI-C and BASIC. While BASIC was a simple language and easy to learn, expecially for beginners, C was not as easy. The book for C-programming that was prescribed to us was quite elementary and not comprehensive. Moreover some of the aspects of C programming that were difficult to understand for eg. 'Pointers', were not presented well. Being a member of The British Library here in Ahmedabad, I had access to some very good international books on computers. I was looking for a book on C-Programming, any book for that. Then I happened to lay my hands on this book which was'nt very attractive from the outside as most computer books are these days. Here, I must admit that I have this nack of picking up very good books on a subject from a whole lot. Its been a good experience as far as choosing books is concerned. I browsed through the pages of this book and somehow decided that this is the book I want. I took it home and after reading it for a month (which is the maximum issue time allowed by the Lib), decided that I had to have this book permanently. Now my reasons for it, 1. The Book is comprehensive, in that it covers all topics concerning ANSI-C programming, with minute descriptions of all functions & keywords. 2.Example programs are full-length and not just extracts, which is very helpful in running the same program on computer without errors. 3. Qualitative descriptions of the sample programs and statements of the language make it easier to understand the language. 4. The Author's experience in teaching the subject has allowed him to write the book in a lucid style that is understandable to novice programmers. Infact I could understand the use and application of 'Pointers' only after reading this book, having failed to do so from many ones before this book. 5. The book has exercises at the end of each chapter which are a must as far as learning and implementation of what you've learnt is concerned. All these factors have made the book really indespensable for a C-programmer. I had recommended this book to a friend of mine who was a computer engineer and he too found it indespensable. We both had decided to buy the book directly from London but could'nt do so because by that time wewere through with that Semester. I had issued this book from the Library a record 20 times, so much so that I used to manipulate my reservations for the book in such a way that I had complete monopoly over issuing it. So Buy It and Cherish it. Then send meYOUR review at [e-mail] You can consult my friend at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Great great book ! A must read for novices ...
Review: I just bought a copy of this book , and after sometime reading it, I already know much about C. The sample programs are well explained and easy to understand unlike other C books out there where the title implies 'for beginners' but the topics are for advanced programmer. This also serves as a great reference because examples are shown for some of functions of header files. What I like most is the topic for pointers, strings and arrays because being a new C programmer, they are very easy to understand. I just hope Paul Davies will follow this up with Java programming book ... :)

Rating:
Summary: An excelent book
Review: What I like about this book is that it covers all the subjects well without being boring. I've found that with other books I tend to skip pages, not this one. Its very well laid out, explanations are to the point and I expecially like the graphics (boxes) he uses to add comments to functions.
Layout: excelent
Subjects: all the basics and more w/real life applications (not just writing games )
Readability: very good explanations without being boring