This book is not concise or particularly well organized, but it is clear, complete, and authoritative. It is a very difficult read for a beginning C++ programmer; however, it proves to be a useful reference after one becomes accustom to it's organization. This is the book I most often reach for to answer questions regarding the C++ language itself.
Full Review:
Bjarne Stroustrup is the guy that created C++, and thus he should be the authoritative source of information. This book is just that, authoritative. This particular printing is updated to include the C++ standard. I must say that the book jumps around a bit and the topics are a bit scattered. This makes it a very difficult read for the complete beginner. For someone completely new to the C++ language, especially an inexperienced programmer, I would suggest that this book be the SECOND book they read on C++. That is to say, this book is a very good read if you already know a bit about the language and can fill in some of the gaps in the organization. The book provides quite a bit of opinion regarding what is good programming and what is not. Liberal quantities of advice, almost all of it good, is found throughout the book. This can make the book a bit slow for more experienced programmers who just want a concise introduction to the language. After living with the book, the organizational structure becomes something that can be navigated and the work can then be used as a reliable reference.
