[.ca] C++ from the Ground Up, Third Edition (ISBN 0072228970)

Not that Useful:
Poorly written. The goal was to produce a book of 800 pages which would look impressive to book reviewers. However if you're actually using Schildt's books to try to program it's very bad. For example 1/2 of a page is devoted to loops while padding output takes many pages. A lot of topics are very poorly treated although at a first glance the book appears to be useful.

Mainframe programmer got thru this book.:
After 20 yrs of mainframe programming, this book was my first exposure to the realm of object orient programming. The book is written in simple terms, not like an IBM manual. There was almost always examples. So, if you didn't understand the text explanation, there was a short example. I like short examples, not examples that run on for pages. I studied this book on my own without an instructor. At this point I understand syntax, but I feel I know nothing of object orient design. I understand mainframe design of application systems. But need to proceed to a second book, for the design concept in this realm of object orient programming. This was an excellent first book for me.

I don't recommend this book for those just starting C++:
In my quest to find a really good teaching guide to learn C++ from scratch I was quite attracted to the title of this book. I checked out the author's credentials and thought this book would be an excellent way to get started. I wanted to "Learn C++ from the Master", as is written on the top right corner of the book for me to plainly see. I personally do not think that the title "C++ from the GROUND UP" is an appropriate one by any means. I found it hard to learn the basics of C++ programming using this book. I didn't find much in the way of detailed teachings to go along with the code examples. As an example, when writing my first program it would have been nice to know something about "headers" other than just the fact that they are necessary or useful for the program. Many more pages of explanations are needed for this book to be "beginner friendly". After all, this book boasts on page XVII that no previous programming experience is required. Now, I have had prior experience albeit many years ago, with C and Pascal. I found this book quite tedious to work through. I think many essential explanations / examples were lacking before advancing to, and running, various types of program code. After struggling through this book all the way to chapter four I got frustrated and invested in C++ Primer Plus, Fifth edition after checking several reviews. It would have been helpful to have more practice exercises with answers. The cost of this book is too high for what you get, ( I paid $59.95 CDN on the date of my purchase, although I see the price has diminished ). There is much, better value out there for your money if you investigate. On a positive note, I think the code examples do demonstrate excellent programming syntax and structure. I also believe that the book's description is correct about the fact that the author is a Master Windows Programmer, etc. I will use the examples of code shown in this book eventually. I would like to get some more use out of it. To sum it all up in a sentence: Had I known back then what I know now about this book, I would never have purchased it.

For the skill level, it meets its goal:
The book says specifically that it is written for beginner to intermediate level. This book meets that goal very well. I have an BS in computer science and I have worked in industry as a developer for over 6 years, several of these using C++. I brought this book, because I learned C++ by using it. Therefore, I only used a small subset of C++'s capabilities in my job, and I really wanted to know the language well. There are several things that need to be taken into account when trying to learn C++. First, the authors of the actual C++ language estimate that it will take 6 months - 1 1/2 years to truly learn C++. Second, all college level computer science students take a class in algorithms, datastructure, object oriented programming, file systems, and software engineering. Chapters 1 - 9 cover the material that is usually taught in a standard "algorthims" class. Chapters 10 - 15 would cover the material that would be expected in a hands on object oriented programming class. Chapters 16 - 22 would cover the material in an advanced C++ class. Even after you finish this book, your education is not complete. This book only covers 1/3 of what is actually in the C++ language standards. "The C++ Standard Library" will teach you about STL: Standard Template Library -- material taught in a standard data structures class, and is another 1/3 of the language standards. Then you will need "Standard C++ IOStreams and Locales". This will cover the last 1/3 of the C++ langauge standards, file systems. Finally, you will need a book about interfacing with databases, so you can save the data, and GUI, so you can interface with the user. I don't mean to discourage anyone from learning C++. I just wanted to provide realistic expectations. Starting at Chapter 6, I have been going through this book slowly, and I have been learning a lot about the details of C++. The book will not teach a person how to write algorithms or how to write object oriented code. It will just teach you how to do it in C++. Therefore, if you don't know the theory of these ideas, you will need a book to explain the theory.

Excellent book for people wanting to learn C++:
GREAT book!!!excellent for programming noobs