[.uk] Absolute Beginners Guide to C (ISBN 0672303418)

Good, but there are better alternatives:
Let me first say that this book is by no means bad. It makes C as simple (I would bold "simple" if I could) as possible, breaks the topics up into bite sized chunks based on topics, warns you about common mistakes, and provides the code for a lengthy blackjack program at the end for your personal dissection and analysis. My main problem with the book is that it does not provide problems for you to solve. It just explains the language. If you couple it with a book that includes a large number of problems, then you're all set. That being said there are better (and cheaper) alternatives out there. Probably the best method of learning C is to subscribe to Harvard's CS 50 podcast. The RSS feed can be found at http://cs50.tv/ , or you can search for "Harvard Computer Science 50" within the itunes store and subscribe to it from there. The podcast includes separate video and audio tracks from lectures conducted by the courses' instructor, David J. Malan. The podcast also provides PDF's of the problem sets along with copies of the class's quizzes and answers. The best part is that you can get this all for free. The course filmed is fall 2007 I believe, so all of the lectures are up (meaning that you don't have to wait for them, go ahead and download them all). The first few episodes from week 0 are a bit slow, but the course quickly picks up speed after that. If you want to get right into C, then I recommend that you start at week 1 (Week 0 is spent going over the basic workings of computer hardware components and some time is spent on a program called "Scratch"). Another good, free place to start is the online tutorial found at http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/cclass/asgn.beg/index.html Reading, problem sets, and solutions to the problem sets are provided. Once you finish, you can move on to the intermediate section of the course found at http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/cclass/asgn.int/index.html The only weakness of these courses is the number of problems provided for you to work on. Across all of the material from both sources I have mentioned, there is probably no more than 40 dedicated coding problems. Another review mentioned thatC Primer Plus (5th Edition)had a large number of examples, so I plan to look into it. As for this book I may keep it around for use when I do not have access to a computer, but most likely I will give it away or sell it.

Not bad, but could have been more accurate:
The book is good for a beginner just to get an intuitive feeling from, but I believe the editors should edit more carefully for actual accuracy. There are a lot of places where the text implies "learn it this way for now" as opposed to "learn it this way". As I have learned more C on my own, past this book, I realized they left out and glossed right over some glaringly important points. Maybe for the sake of not scaring the reader? Hey, I am a grown-up. If I am going to take the trouble to learn the language at all, I'd like to get it right even if it's a little scary. The authors could have alluded to there being more to it, at least. Computer programming isn't a "sorta/kinda" thing, unfortunately, so I wish the authors had been just a bit more concise. I think they could have, without compromising the good intuitive feel they were also imparting to the readers. That said, it's an okay place to start. But I think learning C this way could limit one's understanding of it later.

Extremley beginner leve:
This book is extremely simple and by far too verbose. Book is about 360 pages which could easily be fit in 90 page none-verbose version. Still good start if you are absoutely new to C. To be more specific, this book doesa good job to defining compplecated C terms like Stack/Hip and dynamic memory allocation.

Excellent book for beginning programmers:
Greg Perry has a way of teaching complex subjects to absolute beginners. This book is easy to follow even if you've never programmed before.

BUY! BUY!! BUY!!!:
i started to learn C back in a college course, and it was very difficult. with this book, it made the material i learned more understable and easy. everything is broken down so even someone who isn't familiar with C at all can learn it with no trouble. i recommend this book to everyone.