Ivor Horton's Beginning C++ provides a thorough and exceptionally well-written introduction to the world of C++. This guide pays the same attention to detail as Horton's previous book, Beginning Java, and it provides clear and illustrative examples, making it an excellent candidate for your programming bookshelf. Even working C++ programmers may not be familiar with all the advanced features of the Standard C++. The approach throughout Beginning C++ is to cover what C++ does out of the box. (One good reason to consider C++ instead of Java, for example, is that C++ is very close to becoming an international standard, while Java continues to fragment amid proprietary disputes between vendors such as Sun Microsystems and Microsoft.) Even early chapters introduce Standard Library features along with basic C++ data types, keywords, operators, and flow control statements. The built-in C++ string class gets full coverage, all before the book introduces the concepts of pointers. (It's significant that the new C++ can do a lot more than manipulate data through pointers. The author makes a strong case that these built-in strengths are what will let C++ compete against Java.) Later chapters explore topics in class design, which lets you design custom effective classes in C++. Thorny issues in class design, such as inheritance, virtual methods, and the proper use of default and copy constructors, as well as the pitfalls and advantages of operator overlo