I'm surprised at some of the single-star reviews for this book. IMHO, anyone who thinks this book isn't clearly written simply didn't spend enough time reading and thinking about the material. Let's face it, programming isn't easy -- you need to learn some basic concepts, then learn the syntax of a language, then practice and move on to advanced features. This book does an excellent job of helping programmers, even complete novices, do just that.
The author also goes beyond the basics, and covers some hints and tips that are not mentioned in any other beginner's book that I can find. For example, many beginner's books warn about the erratic behavior of scanf(), but only Practical C takes the extra step by providing a complete workaround (the author advises not to use scanf(), and to use fgets() and sscanf() instead).
I'm only a beginner, and so far I have purchased and read through Greg Perry's Absolute Beginner's Guide to C, Dave Mark's Learn C on the Macintosh (and on Win 95), the classic K&R C Programming Language, and Practical C. All of these books have their advantages, but I think K&R is a bit too difficult for complete newbies. The Perry and Mark books may be a little too simple, but they're excellent quick reads. Practical C is the perfect middle ground, and I recommend that it be read in conjuction with one of the easier books before moving on to K&R.
I also recommend that you read through a chapter completely to get the concepts, then go back and do all the exercises for reinforcement. That's what I did, and even though I struggled to "get" some of the material the first time around, on the second read-through everything managed to sink in.
I can't recommend this book highly enough -- it is clear, accurate, and a pleasure to read and work through.
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Customers say
Customers find the book easy to read and understand, with one noting it explains pointers well. Moreover, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer mentioning it teaches how to write good programs. However, the learning pace and programming knowledge aspects receive mixed reviews, with some considering it the best self-learning resource while others find it not suitable for beginners.
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10 customers mention clarity, 10 positive, 0 negative
I find this book easy to read and it does a fair job of explaining the meanings of the various terms that make up C programming....Read more
This book follows a logical order and is written in a clear, easy to read style. I have 6 books on C on my shelf and this is my favorite.Read more
...It does so by using simple language, examples and by using many illustrations....Read more
Easy to follow the book. In addition, I can use the examples provided in the book to solve my problem.Read more
9 customers mention enlightened content, 7 positive, 2 negative
Practical C Programming is really accessible and enlightening. The topic on pointers serves as a good example....Read more
I used this book to self teach me C. The examples are clear. It has a bunch of exercises....Read more
...It came right on time and has been a great resource! No writing in it, perfect condition.Read more
...This book is shortchanging the beginners by not giving them useful/important (dare I say practical) information about C....Read more
3 customers mention writing quality, 3 positive, 0 negative
This book follows a logical order and is written in a clear, easy to read style. I have 6 books on C on my shelf and this is my favorite.Read more
...It came right on time and has been a great resource! No writing in it, perfect condition.Read more
...It teaches more than just theory and the C syntax. It teaches how to write good programs and it focuses on good programming style....Read more
8 customers mention learning pace, 4 positive, 4 negative
I think this book might be the best C self-learning book in my opinion. When I decided to learn C I shop around several "famous" books....Read more
Not the best book if you have programming experience, very basic.Read more
...Language by Brian W. Kernighan ... then together you've got a good start on learning C and many of the modern tools (such as make) that are...Read more
...Learning C is not easy, nor instantaneous. You have to commit some time to it and preferably have some guidance along the way....Read more
5 customers mention programming knowledge, 3 positive, 2 negative
...What I really liked about the book was how the author covered good programming practices extensively. Highly recommend!Read more
...Beware too that with each chapter, the solutions get even more complex....Read more
Practical C Programming is really accessible and enlightening. The topic on pointers serves as a good example....Read more
...Let's face it, programming isn't easy -- you need to learn some basic concepts, then learn the syntax of a language, then practice and move on to...Read more
Accessible and enlightening
Practical C Programming is really accessible and enlightening. The topic on pointers serves as a good example. Pointers are considered one of the most difficult, but at the same time one of the most important, topics in C. This book explains pointers really well. It does so by using simple language, examples and by using many illustrations. The illustrations have really helped me to comprehend pointers in C. The attached images show some of the illustrations used to explain pointers. These illustrations and explanations might seem really basic and a bit childish, but this way I understood the concepts on pointers straight away. It is actually a really valuable skill to be able to explain things simply. As Einstein said: "If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough." Practical C Programming was actually not the first book on C that I started. I actually started with K&R2 (The C Programming Language). That was the book that was recommended and praised the most, so I figured I should study C using K&R2. I got to chapter 3, but with much difficulty. The authors of K&R2 mention that C is a small and concise language and that a book on C should therefore also be concise and small. This did not work well for me. The book assumes a lot of prior knowledge about computer science. New topics are not explained extensively. That's why I switched to Practical C Programming and I am glad I did so. I expect to understand the content of K&R2 much better now that I have finished Practical C. As the title of the book states it is a practical book. It teaches more than just theory and the C syntax. It teaches how to write good programs and it focuses on good programming style. The book is quite old (1991 – 1997). Some information in the book is really outdated, but the main concepts and lessons still apply (I will share some examples about outdated info in the book later on). Overall I found Practical C Programming a really beneficial book. It is easy and enlightening as a first book on C. It is suitable and accessible for new programmers without much experience or a background in computer science. The book contain a few minor things that I disagree on with the author. I rate it 7.5 out of 10.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Practical C Programming is really accessible and enlightening. The topic on pointers serves as a good example. Pointers are considered one of the most difficult, but at the same time one of the most important, topics in C. This book explains pointers really well. It does so by using simple language, examples and by using many illustrations. The illustrations have really helped me to comprehend pointers in C. The attached images show some of the illustrations used to explain pointers.
These illustrations and explanations might seem really basic and a bit childish, but this way I understood the concepts on pointers straight away. It is actually a really valuable skill to be able to explain things simply. As Einstein said: "If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough."
Practical C Programming was actually not the first book on C that I started. I actually started with K&R2 (The C Programming Language). That was the book that was recommended and praised the most, so I figured I should study C using K&R2. I got to chapter 3, but with much difficulty. The authors of K&R2 mention that C is a small and concise language and that a book on C should therefore also be concise and small. This did not work well for me. The book assumes a lot of prior knowledge about computer science. New topics are not explained extensively. That's why I switched to Practical C Programming and I am glad I did so. I expect to understand the content of K&R2 much better now that I have finished Practical C.
As the title of the book states it is a practical book. It teaches more than just theory and the C syntax. It teaches how to write good programs and it focuses on good programming style.
The book is quite old (1991 – 1997). Some information in the book is really outdated, but the main concepts and lessons still apply (I will share some examples about outdated info in the book later on).
Overall I found Practical C Programming a really beneficial book. It is easy and enlightening as a first book on C. It is suitable and accessible for new programmers without much experience or a background in computer science. The book contain a few minor things that I disagree on with the author. I rate it 7.5 out of 10.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Diana S.Reviewed in Australia on November 24, 2018
Great book for anyone learning to or getting back into programming in C
Format: KindleVerified Purchase -
mn.Reviewed in Brazil on February 18, 2023
Quando a capa diz que o livro é prático é porque ele é prático mesmo!
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - AdrianReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2015
Worth of buying.
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase -
Dan StefanReviewed in Spain on January 8, 2018
Lo he estado usando un y está guay.
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
