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Rating: 
Summary: A thorough and complete intro to C++ and Windows programming
Review: Of all the beginner Visual C++ books I have used, I still find this book to be the best. First off, let me say that this book is not for a beginner programmer - it is for a beginner to the world of C++ and Windows programming. I would recommend a strong understanding of another high level language before attempting this book. If you are comfortable programming in Pascal or C, then this book is for you. The book excels in three main areas: a solid introduction to C++ and object oriented programming, how to write Windows programs, and how to use MFC to your advantage. Being over 1,000 pages, this book is not for the light hearted - it takes some discipline to keep motivated, but the rewards are great. Plan on spending a good month to get through it. The first part of the book introduces the reader to C, C++, and object oriented programming. It provides a strong foundation for the rest of the book. At times I found certain sections somewhat dry, but was able to hang in there knowing the fun stuff was next - writing Windows programs. The second part of the book focuses mainly on Windows programming and MFC. Each chapter introduces a new concept such as menu bars, views, dialog boxes, etc. - all the way through to ActiveX controls. The best part of the second section is that by the end you build a fully functional drawing program. This kept me interested and motivated knowing that I was building a real world application. All in all, I think this is a great book. It has served me well in my summer internship writing Windows applications. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Supplement; But Don't Follow the 5 Star Lemmings
Review: For every new topic the author discusses from the very beginning to the hard parts. This book is for c++ GUI beginners, NOT for c++ language beginners.
I loved this book. I'll also buy other books written by him, such as the MFC book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very hard to read
Review: I took a college introductory course on C++ and was disappointed w/ the book we used. I picked this book up and my knowledge of Visual C++ has increased ten fold. This is a great Reference book and also good for Beginners w/ some programming knowledge.
Rating: 
Summary: This book made me un-install Visual C++
Review: I was pretty disapointed in this book after reading all the many fine comments from readers. It makes me wonder what's wrong here???? I've taken dozens of classes in computer science, and I've become very proficient at programming in C for embedded design projects, and Visual Basic for various database applications. But this book, made me wonder what the hell is going on? I got such a headache, there is just too much information to absorb. Unless you really need to learn this stuff because your life depended on it, I can't imagine anyone learning it and reading the whole book. I had a lot more fun with Borland C++ builder..much easier to use than Visual C++. I highly recommend Builder!
Rating:
Summary: This is truly an excellent book for learning Visual C++!
Review: Mr. Horton does a good job at explaining an extremely complex language that has a very steep learning curve. In several hundred pages you learn how to: Program, Program in C++, Program in Windows with C++, Program in Visual C++ version 5.0, Program OOP designs, Program using the Active Template Library. As an experienced VBA programmer (4 years) and as a full time employed person it took me four months to complete the book. I've learned an incredible amount! I think the ONLY point where the book may be a little weak is in understanding the MFC behind the scenes. I just wasn't sure WHY I was doing some things, especially when we arrived at Windows programming with MFC. However, if that was explained also, it may have taken even more than the 1100 pages to explain a beginning topic. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who has some programming experience and wants to move quickly to the cutting edge of Windows Development.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: This book gets a good rating in my book, it teaches C++ good for the first about 7-9 chatpers of the book but after that it moves on into MFC which I really dont feel like learning. And I still haven't to this day. The C++ section of the book is pretty good, and the section on classes is excellent. If you want a book on C++ but really want to know more on classes, this is a good begginers book to get on it, along with some teaching of MFC as well.
Rating:
Summary: Fairly good, but you might want to look elsewhere first
Review: This book helped me a great deal in learning Visual C++. I used VC++ 6.0 in following the examples; they all apply and as far as the book's teachings are concerned, there's no real difference. I'm writing this review because I've been a lightweight VB programmer for a number of years, and it's been a long hard road to learning VC++ and 'real' Windows programming. I have been really fed up with reading reviews on Amazon that debate obscure, geeky codemonkey points and don't really address the essential question: CAN I LEARN C++ BY READING THIS BOOK? With this book, I'd say sort of. I found that I had to put the book down after the first few chapters and go to another book (Learn C++ in 21 Days by Jesse Liberty) to really get solid on some C++ concepts which this book does teach, but goes through them at such a speed that you don't really get a grasp on them. After that, I returned to the book and found it a much better experience. You'll see this theme repeated in the other reviews here: there's a ton of stuff taught here really quickly, perhaps too fast for you to truly get a handle on it. You will need to supplement this with other books, but I think that's a basic truth about trying to tackle any programming topic as vast as this one. Ivor Horton writes well and in a friendly, approachable style. The code is good; there are a couple of errors, but at the Wrox website there is extensive errata and the full code available for download, and the couple of problems I had were solved with the support that I found there.
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