Product Description

Written by best-selling authors Al Kelley and Ira Pohl, A Book on C, Fourth Edition is a comprehensive tutorial and reference to C based on the ANSI C standard. The C language is demonstrated with numerous examples and extensive exercises that guide readers through each concept. Step-by-step "dissections" of program code reveal the underlying logic of the programs and include in-depth implementation details. New features in this edition include: a chapter on moving from C to Java; more programming examples; new and improved dissections; more thorough coverage of multifile programming, pointers, and recursion; and new and updated exercises; and an expanded appendix of standard library functions. In addition, there is more emphasis on Abstract Data Types, which provides the reader with a foundation for working with objects and facilitates programming in the problem domain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111552 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 726 pages

From the Back Cover

Now in its fourth edition, A Book on C retains the features that have made it a proven, best-selling tutorial and reference on the ANSI C programming language. This edition builds on the many existing strengths of the text to improve, update, and extend the coverage of C, and now includes information on transitioning to Java and C++ from C.

Beginners and professional programmers alike will benefit from the numerous examples and extensive exercises developed to guide readers through each concept. Step-by-step dissections of program code illuminate the correct usage and syntax of C language constructs and reveal the underlying logic of their application. The clarity of exposition and format of the book make it an excellent reference on all aspects of C.

Highlights of A Book on C, Fourth Edition :

About the Author

Ira Pohl is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. His research interests include artificial intelligence, the C and C++ programming languages, practical complexity problems, heuristic search methods, deductive algorithms, and educational and social issues. He originated error analysis in heuristic search methods and deductive algorithms.

Professor Pohl was formerly a Mackay professor at University of California- Berkeley and a ZWO fellow in the Netherlands. He is the author or co-author of Object-Oriented Programming Using C++, C++ Distilled: A Concise Ansi/Iso Reference and Style Guide, C by Dissection: The Essentials of C Programming, A Book on C: Programming in C, C++ for C Programmers, C++ for Fortran Programmers, C++ for Pascal Programmers, and Turbo C: The Essentials of C Programming, all published by Addison-Wesley.

0201183994AB04062001

Customer Reviews

Dry, but thorough with good exercises.
This book is *not* aimed at complete beginners in programming. It's coverage of C is thorough but I found it somewhat dry and uninspiring. To get maximum value you really must do the exercises which are really very good. As others have stated, the authors use a lot of mathematical examples (fibonacci, Newton-Raphson, polynomials and more) that may put some people off. Also, the exercises do not have answers, but in general this not a problem. They include a brief section on abstract data types which is handy (stack, linked list, binary tree) but don't expect this to replace a specific ADT book. There is also an appendix with explanations for the C standard library, but again if you need this you would be better off buying a dedicated reference. The appencices on Java and C++ are quite good to give you a flavour of what to expect from these languages.

All in all this is a good introduction to C with a mathematical bias. Don't forget the exercises and don't expect it to be your only book on C!

for the novice c programmer
I am a student at Glasgow Universtiy and for third year had to learn c, having only used Ada before.

This book is fantastic, simple explanations with good examples of how to make use of all the c features. Each section contains references to all the sections explaning relevant parts of example programs, so you can just jump in anywhere.

The one bad thing is it might teach you a few bad habits, but it is easy to use and understand

Excellent book for those serious about learning C
I first read an Absolute Beginners book on C which gave me the confidence to proceed to this book. I found it harder than the beginners but the explanations after the code make it very user friendly and easy to follow. The exercises after each chapter make you think about what you're doing and about other ways of doing things too. The book is very good at emphasising possible problems areas and at commenting on good coding practise and what is most often used by programmers.

With a maths background I found the maths parts very easy to understand but there are some parts which may be difficult if maths isn't your thing (although they could probably be skipped without any harm).

It's a really really good book and gives loads of opportunities to learn a new subject area and get practise in it. The authors are very careful to point out areas of caution and to empahisise important points to remember. The summary at the end of each chapter gives a precise break down of what you've learnt.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone serious about learning C.