Absolute Beginner's Guide to C

I finally bought this book after reading the reviews for the last year. I gave it to my Linux Administrator and told him to read it as an assignment. He called after a couple of hours into it and said he couldn't put it down and that it was the best computer book he had ever read. He also mentioned that he had tried to learn C from other books and did not get anywhere. Similar story to many of the other stories...I went a head and ordered another one for me and have read several chapters. I must agree that after trying to learn programming from Beginner Python books and PHP books that this whole programming thing started to fall into place. The author really does do a good job at explaining things. The reviews are accurate...and not staged like I thought they may be.I also ordered a 3rd book for a 13-year-old boy who wants to learn how to be a web programmer with PHP and MySQL. I am starting him off with this book first because it will give him the foundation he needs to move into PHP and other languages.I wish other books were written this well. The author is an excellent teacher. Go ahead and get it. You'll be glad you did.

I've always been interested in programming, but didn't know squat about it, not to mention every thing just looked like a giant wall of text to me. I just started reading this book, and it's giving a very good break down of what is really being looked at, especially at the end of each chapter where there's lines of code given, followed by an explanation of what it's doing. The book is written in a very easy-to-read fashion, and gives plenty of examples, tips, analogies, and warnings of things to look out for. Most books/tutorials I've come across teach in a way that expects you to know certain things, making it very confusing to me, but this book starts with assuming the reader has no experience with anything to do with programming, and takes a slow and comfortable approach to teaching C. Things are finally starting to sink in, and I'm starting to understand what other sources were trying to say.If you're interested in programming, but have a hard time understanding it, I highly recommend this book. I'm definitely going to be purchasing a couple more books from this author very soon.

I am brand new to programming, and am accompanying a computer sciences course with reading this book. I found the content high quality overall although I would have had a harder time understanding some of the concepts were it not for a further explanation that I received in class. The coding examples are very good, but I don't think I'd really be comfortable trying to program for the first time with this book alone. I may just have a different learning style. I'd say that the book is worth the buy but not expect that it be your be all end all programming purchase. Perhaps it's because the nature of this kind of programming is having to get your feet wet working through problems also.

I was always intrigued by the C programming language and was looking for a book that could make it easy for me to understand. I tried reading the famous Kernighan/Ritchie C Programming book and that flew over my head! I then tried other publisher's book like the Teach Yourself C in 21-days, or the Teach Yourself C in 24-hours. None of them are made for the absolute beginner and they assume you already know certain things about computers. Already in the first 5 chapters these books lose me.This book by Greg Perry is really made for the absolute beginner! After having gone through it, I start to see the logic and understanding of C. Although I still cannot write my own code effectively and efficiently, at least I am a little more comfortable of looking through C source code and making out parts of it, specifically the Black Jack program that is in the book at the end. I HIGHLY recommend this book for beginners looking into programming in C. This book won't make you a master at C, but it is a great introduction to C and will give you a good and simple foundation in it.

This book provides an excellent introduction to the C programming language. It covers in detail all of what for me were the most cryptic aspects of the language, namely, C notation and basic C syntax. It drills you on the basics, so to speak, and in doing so opens up a much more comprehensive understanding of how to get things done in C. I had attempted to learn C from much more advanced books with mixed success. This book had answered virtually all of the questions that I had. It's goal is not to impress you with advanced concepts but rather to get you to the point where you write successful C programs on your own, drawing on the clear explanations and examples the author provides. The author also points out many of the common pitfalls and shows you how to write readable and easily maintainable programs. It is an excellent value and will serve as a useful reference in the future.

Having played around with pic assembler for a number of years, I decided to move up a notch and learn C. Hence this review is not from a complete novice, but from someone who understands the ideas behind how a computer works. For me, the pace of the book is pretty spot on, and the examples given are excellent tools for explaining the concepts. I suggest you download a compiler and type the code given - it will really help you understand what is going on. As always, such books cannot cater for everybody - if you are struggling with a section, I suggest doing a bit of research around that subject and I’m sure it will make sense eventually.

Finally a book on C that's easy to follow! Doesn't over simplify to the point it's useless and not so complicated a beginner can't follow. Just right!

the book is slightly smudged on the top left corner when i opened the package, although that does not affect its use i.e to read, when the book costs around 1700rs. we do expect it to reach in perfect condition. the book is great otherwise.

Nice and clear. The hard copy is probably easier to negotiate when you're trying to flick through and look for something but that's just a preference. The book is really good.

Best book for C but you will need 1 more book for practice C ..