The C Programming Language (2nd Edition) - Brian W. Kernighan

This masterful tour of C features concentrates on essential programming constructs, from the basics--such as data types, variables, operators and flow control--to more advanced topics. Short, effective programming samples are the rule here. (Many samples work with strings and text files). Along the way, the authors don't shy away from the thornier C topics. For example, when discussing pointers, they look at pointers to pointers and even pointers to functions. Later in the book, they offer useful code for a flexible memory allocation scheme and a binary tree. The text concludes with the formal specification for C and a compact listing of the functions in the C standard header files.

C is still a great first programming language, and its influence is felt in Java and C++, both of which support many programming constructs based on C, while adding support for objects. The C Programming Language is still an excellent reference to one of our most successful and efficient programming languages. It's a book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any C/C++ developer, regardless of your experience with the language. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com

Topics covered:

• overview of ANSI C
• introductory language tutorial
• data types
• variables
• arrays
• operators and operator precedence
• flow control
• functions
• header files
• recursion
• macros and the C pre-processor
• pointers and arrays
• advanced pointer types (pointers to pointers, pointers to functions)
• multidimensional arrays
• structures and unions
• dynamic memory allocation
• console and file I/O
• UNIX file functions
• Formal description of the standard C language
• Reference to C standard library header files and functions