The C Programming Language (2nd Edition) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis Ritchie
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Category: Book
List Price: £31.95
Buy New: £19.17
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Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 4545
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Pages: 274
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0131103628
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.133
UPC: 076092003106
EAN: 9780131103627
ASIN: 0131103628
Publication Date: April 1, 1988
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Amazon.co.uk Review
An indisputably classic computing text, Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition, is the standard reference for learning and using ANSI C. Written by the co-inventors of C, this concise tutorial has a well-deserved reputation for clarity and precision as it defines one of the most successful programming languages of all time. It's an essential reference, which will be useful for beginners and experienced programmers alike. This masterful tour of C features concentrates on essential programming constructs, from the basics--such as data types, variables, operators and flow control--to more advanced topics. Short, effective programming samples are the rule here. (Many samples work with strings and text files). Along the way, the authors don't shy away from the thornier C topics. For example, when discussing pointers, they look at pointers to pointers and even pointers to functions. Later in the book, they offer useful code for a flexible memory allocation scheme and a binary tree. The text concludes with the formal specification for C and a compact listing of the functions in the C standard header files. C is still a great first programming language, and its influence is felt in Java and C++, both of which support many programming constructs based on C, while adding support for objects. The C Programming Language is still an excellent reference to one of our most successful and efficient programming languages. It's a book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any C/C++ developer, regardless of your experience with the language. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com Topics covered: - overview of ANSI C
- introductory language tutorial
- data types
- variables
- arrays
- operators and operator precedence
- flow control
- functions
- header files
- recursion
- macros and the C pre-processor
- pointers and arrays
- advanced pointer types (pointers to pointers, pointers to functions)
- multidimensional arrays
- structures and unions
- dynamic memory allocation
- console and file I/O
- UNIX file functions
- Formal description of the standard C language
- Reference to C standard library header files and functions
Amazon.co.uk Review
Just about every C programmer I respect learned C from this book. Unlike many of the 1,000 page doorstops stuffed with CD-ROMs that have become popular, this volume is concise and powerful (if somewhat dangerous)--like C itself. And it was written by Kernighan himself. Need we say more? --Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
 Not for beginners August 28, 2008
S. A
This is not the best book for those learning to program in C. It is probrably best suited for those who already have a little programming experience. The constructs are not always well presented and the examples suffer from being too computer science oriented (e.g. counting words in a sentence).
Overall, not exactly a tutorial or a reference but does provide a few pointers for intermediate level C programmers.
 Pure genius March 25, 2008
"H"
This book may not be the newest one out but it is totally the best. I read many many many books trying to learn C but none of them quite did it until i found this one and it will always have a place in my heart and on my desk. STOP looking and buy this book NOW!!
Classic April 30, 2007
lexo1941 (Dublin, Ireland)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm developing a theory about programming books; you can't just read one book on any given subject, any more than you can get a sense of what a country is like from reading one guidebook to the place. I came to K&R as a late starter, having read only book on C before, which I'm not ashamed to admit was 'C for Dummies'. All I can say is, if I hadn't read the Dummies book and cobbled a few half-assed non-programs together, I might not be able to understand this book at all, but having done so I can throw the other book away, because this book's power to explain and illuminate is frankly awesome. I don't know where Kernighan and Ritchie got their literary gifts from, but if only most programming books were so well-written.
Is C a difficult language? Yes. But Kernighan and Ritchie show you how it works and, more importantly, do so in a clear and non-ambiguous manner. This is one of the best books on programming I've read; every page seems to introduce a new concept, and even a layperson like me (with not even a humanities degree to my name, let alone any background in computer science) can understand it. Most importantly of all, they make you want to start writing code.
When I was waiting for my daughter to be born, this is the book I took into the hospital with me. I'm not sure whether that shows how good it is or what a nerd I am, but it does suggest why hackers sometimes refer to K&R as the New Testament.
A fantastic book, but not for newbies March 10, 2007
Kefeng Zhang (London, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is the classic of C programming. It covers all the aspects of procedural programming in C. It is one of the reference books by several C programming certification authorities, like Brainbench.
This book is written based on the ANSI C Standard. Half of this book is reference to the ANSI C standard.
It is more like a strict text-book rather than a interactive learning material. For programming beginners, you can get lost very easily and struggle with even the first chapter of this book. This book will not answer questions which beginners normally have about "How to do something". Instead, it explains idea directly about "why do we do this".
If you have some programming experience in C, this book will be your best friend to achieve a rapid progress. If you are newbie, read the "C How to Program - by Harvey and Paul" first to establish a solid knowledge basis. Do some exercises and small projects in C and find as many questions as possible. Then read this book.
This book is not only for the experienced! September 21, 2006
C. S. Le
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book has a tendency to be very detailed very early on, some people might like it, but for a beginner this might become very confusing at first, however I can honestly say even if you bought this book as your second book, it is still a very good reference to the C programming Language. Don't forget, this book was written by one of the people who invented the language!
The objective of the book is not to explain every feature of the language, its aim is to get the reader coding as soon as possible, instead of 1000 page programming book it is condensed into less then 300 pages! The author believes that by teaching the essential programming techniques, other functions or techniques will come by experience.
Summery:
1.)Good for reference
2.)Good as a tutorial book, but might be confusing for beginners
3.)Provides Essential programming techniques
4.)Author believes that other programming techniques will come with experience
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