C++ Book Recommendations

The following books are essential reading for C++ programmers and all of them repay repeated reading:

• Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (third edition). The classic book on C++ with extensive coverage of the various language features.
• Scott Meyers. Effective C++.
• Scott Meyers. More Effective C++. These two books by Meyers are packed full of good advice on how to use the features of the language and avoid numerous C++ "gotchas".
• Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Orientated Software. The classic text by "The gang of four" on patterns in object-orientated programmes.
  

Stroustrup's book describes the features of C++ and the motivation for their inclusion in the language. Meyers describes how you should use the features and how to get right the details of your code. Finally, Design Patterns looks at the bigger picture of how objects in object-orientated software interact with each other, focussing on patterns of interaction that recur in many successful systems. Reading all four books in the order given will improve the quality of your C++ coding (unless you are already an expert coder of course).