Recommended literature
Here is a list of programming books we recommend.
General books
The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
A very good book about programming in general.
- Authors: Andrew Hunt, David Thomas
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 0-201-61622-X
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-201-61622-4
Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World
The sequel to "Pragmatic Programmer", also extremely helpful.
- Authors: Subramaniam / Hunt
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 097451408X
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0974514086
C++ programming
Professional C++
Professional C++ is a great C++ book which focuses more on teaching how to write quality code rather than know every single esoteric C++ feature to maximum detail (although it still does detail much advanced C++). There are many chapters on code design, code style, proficiency, efficiency and writing reusable bug-free code. The following quote by Martin Fowler[1][2] sums up the idea of this book quite well:
"Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand."
- Authors: Nicholas A. Solter, Scott J. Kleper
- Publisher: Wrox Press
- Print ISBN-10: 0-7645-7484-1
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-7484-9
C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices
This is a very good book to improve your skills in C++. Probably better than the book from Scott Meyers.
- Authors: Herb Sutter, Andrei Alexandrescu
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 0-321-11358-6
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-11358-0
Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs, Third Edition
A good book how to improve your C++ skills.
- Author: by Scott Meyers
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 0-321-33487-6
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-33487-9
Applied C++: Practical Techniques for Building Better Software
This book covers intermediate programming techniques exclusively using C++; it's probably best used as a stepping stone on the way to or as a supplement with Modern C++ Design as it makes the text easier to grasp.
- Authors: Phillip Romanik, Amy Muntz
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 0-321-10894-9
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-10894-4
Modern C++ Design: Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied
This is a book how templates can be used in generic programming. This book is tough :)
- Author: Andrei Alexandrescu
- Publisher: Addison Wesley Professional
- Print ISBN-10: 0-201-70431-5
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-201-70431-0
Qt toolkit
C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4
A good book about programming with Qt 4.1. It also covers advanced topics like cross-plattform development, plugin aware applications, etc. If you can find this in a library and want to learn how to use Qt 4 it's a very good start, I think.
- Authors: Jasmin Blanchette, Mark Summerfield
- Publisher: Prentice Hall
- Print ISBN-10: 0-13-187249-4
- Print ISBN-13: 978-0-13-187249-3
Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4
A free book online! Great resource. Maybe not for complete beginners, but if you know the C++ syntax and the basics of GUI programming this gives a different viewpoint to Qt - for free. [3]