Rating:  - Finally, a great book for a true beginner!
The author did a great job of explaining in this book. It was very easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this book for a true beginner. Also, the author includes a helpful and handy "Crib Notes," which is a tear out reference sheet of Functions and Statements covered in the book. No doubt, I rate this book 5 stars!
Rating: - Great Publication
As an IT professional I have read many programming books. Many of which in their attempt to teach you something about their topic end in more confusion than clarity. Not so with this text. This is one of the only texts I have encountered that actually reads as it was described, assuming no programming experience yet having the ability to teach you practical implementations of the language. I found this text to be a fun read, not overly technical (it is a beginning level text) and very much worth my time and effort. I would highly recomend this text to anyone just starting out with C, it will give you the core understanding of concepts you will need to advance your C programming abilities. Nice work Mr. Perry.
Rating: - Great for beginners! THANK YOU!!!
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.
Rating:  - Great Book for C Beginners!
The book is fun, easy to read and I loved learning from it!
ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND BUY THIS BOOK!
AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, I WOULDN'T HAVE UNDERSTOOD "C: THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE" BY RITCHIE & KERNIHAN WITHOUT READING IN ADVANCE GREG PERRY'S BOOK "Absolute Beginner's Guide to C"!!
I would have given it five stars BUT:
a) I thought it's sometimes too wordy (although "too wordy" is MUCH better than terse!!) My "too wordy" impression may be because i took some programming classes in high school and I already knew some of the things presented in the book. Therefore, the passages that I considered too wordy may very well be absolutely necessary for absolute beginners!
b) The author seems to think readers don't like technical presentations, which in my opinion is wrong. I didn't like the "Skip this, it's technical" headings of some actually very important passages. If you really want to learn well, DON'T skip the technical passages!
THE AUTHOR DOES AN EXCELLENT, OUTSTANDING JOB OF EXPLANINING POINTERS TO BEGINNERS! AND SINCE POINTERS ARE POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE C LANGUAGE, THE BOOK IS REALLY VERY GOOD! THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL OTHERS VERY IMPORTANT PIECES OF ADVICE THAT SOME OTHER AUTHORS SEEM TO OVERLOOK, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THOSE BITS OF ADVICE THAT PERRY GIVES ARE ***VITAL*** TO LEARNIG GOOD C PROGRAMMING!
OVERALL, GOOD BOOOK: ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, BUY IT!!
AFTER you finish learning from this book, you might want to buy "C: The Programming Language" by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie.
Enjoy every moment of the learning process!
Rating:  - Good for quick read, but not the best
I read through this book twice, and although it provides some good examples for beginners, it does so in a very brief manner. Get this book if you are looking for a quick read (larger font, nice pictures, etc.).
If you are looking to gain a better understanding of C, even if you are a beginniner (like myself), go out and get C Primer Plus, which is filled with tons of complete examples, challenge questions, and challenge programs.
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