# C++ Books— I don't want Visual Crap **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441 "2001-10-09T23:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/1 "2001-10-09T23:38:01Z")
Sorry, but I am very uncomfortable in visual developing environments. I can get to them later after I’ve gotten the feel for the language via hand-coding in text editors. Most of the books I found at Amazon while searching were basically all focused on learning how to make programs in those visual compilers. I can figure out how to work those any old time—I wanna know the damn language! 🙂 I just _know_ there are books out there which deal only with the language. I just can’t find them. ☹ Any suggestions? I’ve moving along in Java pretty well and plan to head to C++ in a few months. I will probably pick up a Visual C++ compiler as they should still allow for simple hand coding of everything, but I will really need help with the core language. Any picks out there? Should I tackle C before C++ or with my OOP experience from Java just jump right into C++? Many thanks… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/2 "2001-10-09T23:58:38Z")
With OOP experience, you should definitely just jump right into C++. FWIW, I learned C++ before any other language, so I think you may have an easier time of it than I. As for a language reference, why not go directly to the horse’s mouth? Bjarne Soustroup, the inventor of the language, has written what’s considered to be a definitive [work](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201700735/qid=1002671850/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_3_1/102-9898227-8237723) in the field. I’ve never read it, but people at Amazon seem to like it. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/3 "2001-10-10T00:07:43Z")
I recommend “C++ How to Program” by Deitel & Deitel [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130895717/ref=bxgy\_sr\_text\_a/107-8431396-9565339](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130895717/ref=bxgy_sr_text_a/107-8431396-9565339) from what I recall, it doesn’t favor one IDE over another. ---
**Author:** ![Lost\_In\_Reality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Lost\_In\_Reality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lost_In_Reality)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/4 "2001-10-10T01:48:28Z")
You 100% do not need to learn anything before C++. I am currently taking AP Computer Science. It is mandatory to learn the language. I have no prior programming experience, and it is pretty easy. The books we are using in class are \* A Guide to Programming in C++ \* by Corica, Brown, and Presley. We are also using the book \* A Tapestry to Computer Programming \* ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/5 "2001-10-10T01:57:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ultrafilter \* > \*\*With OOP experience, you should definitely just jump right into C++. FWIW, I learned C++ before any other language, so I think you may have an easier time of it than I. > > As for a language reference, why not go directly to the horse’s mouth? Bjarne Soustroup, the inventor of the language, has written what’s considered to be a definitive [work](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201700735/qid=1002671850/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_3_1/102-9898227-8237723) in the field. I’ve never read it, but people at Amazon seem to like it. \*\* I didn’t. I think Stroustrup was too close to his subject matter, and that other authors did a better job. Surprisingly enough, I would recommend _C++ for Dummies_ and _More C++ for Dummies_ – but only if you already know C. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/6 "2001-10-10T02:01:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JThunder \* > **I think Stroustrup was too close to his subject matter, and that other authors did a better job.** Fair enough. The book I used to learn C++ is by Cohoon and Davidson. I used the second edition, but I’ve heard good things about the third. Some people don’t like it, though; caveat lector. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-books-i-dont-want-visual-crap/86441/7 "2001-10-11T01:27:32Z")
Well, I did get Ol’ BS’s book (coming through Amazon as we speak). I figure he can ge pretty in depth about it which is what I need, since core syntax should be _very_ similar to Java. Wish me luck!