Reddit reviews The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference
We found 5 Reddit comments about The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
I am actually going to try to be helpful, in stark contrast to the rest of the comments. You actually want to learn two things C++ and the C++ STL, because the STL is the way to actually get work done with C++ these days.
The vast majority of my college classes were in C++, so I have read several computer science textbooks aimed at C++. The least bad of all the ones I have personally used was Understanding Program Design and Data Structures with C++ by Lambert and Naps. It is the textbook that My Introduction to Computer Science I class used back in the day. It is a serviceable into to computer science book; if you new to computer science it isn't too bad, if you are familiar with comp sci then the book should all be trivial but a good way to learn the language. It is kind of old but the basics of computer science haven't really changed since the 1970's anyway so it doesn't matter [Amazon link]. Lambert and Naps seems to have a newer C++ book out, I don't know anything about it; if it is a newer edition or a different approach or what [Amazon link]. The nice thing about the older one is I can vouch that it is okay, and you can get it really cheap used through Amazon.
Bjarne Stroustroup is the original creator of C++. His book, The C++ Programming Language, is a very good and very thorough overview of the language. Be warned though, it reads like a dense college textbook, mostly because it is a dense college textbook [Amazon link].
The other really essential one is The C++ Standard Template Library by Plauger. Stepanov, et al.; Stepanov is the creator of the STL [Amazon link].
My favorite STL book is actually The C++ Standard Template Library: A Tutorial and Referenceby Josuttis. It is a lot more readable [Amazon link].
Remember, the STL is there to be used, and it hasn't sucked since the late 90's, so don't go around making your own string classes and stack classes, except when you are playing around to learn C++.
Also the Boost libraries are really good now too, but it didn't really exist when I was doing C++, so I don't have any idea what is a good book for that.
Good luck! I just gave you about a year's worth of reading material, but at the end you will be a well-qualified C++ newbie.
I think a lot of it is subjective; one book is not going to destroy you as a programmer unless you rely on only one book. Most of the developers I deal with have a library of books. For C++ they have at least Stroustrup's C++ and the STL Library. They are both pending for new editions for C++11 so you might want to wait a bit.
I like Josuttis as a standard library reference. It might not be your traditional "Learn how to program" book, but it will remain on your shelf long after you've tossed out the rest of your beginners books. (I also notice that he seems to have a C++11 book coming out soon.)
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Library-Tutorial-Reference/dp/0201379260/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324964906&sr=1-1
I learned C++ from Dietel & Dietel 1st Edition, but I noticed that by the 4th edition the book had gotten a bit obnoxious. Maybe they've corrected some of that now that they are on their 8th edition? If nothing else, at least they have been doing the C++ book thing for well over a decade.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Program-8th-Paul-Deitel/dp/0132662361/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324965103&sr=8-1
This kind of stuff is available in painful detail in Josuttis' book, but there is a fair bit of "other stuff" in there.
That said, better than the fish book for someone who wants just the good stuff would be Effective STL and/or Standard C++ IOStreams & Locales.
> How the heck am I supposed to learn STL, when and how to use it?
Books are good! They can cover the material more efficiently than video can, and it's easy to adapt if the material is being covered too quickly or too slowly. I don't have a personal recommendation, but a quick Amazon search came up with The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference (2nd Edition) which seems to be well-regarded. Too expensive? A used copy of the 1st edition is only a few bucks.