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C Programming Language
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C Programming Language Paperback - 1988

by Dennis Ritchie; Brian Kernighan

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This seller has earned a 4.44 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.44 / 5 (11253 total reviews)

Written by the developers of C, this new version helps readers keep up with the finalized ANSI standard for C while showing how to take advantage of C's rich set of operators, economy of expression, improved control flow, and data structures. This 2nd edition has been completely rewritten with additional examples and problem sets to clarify the implementation of difficult language constructs.

Summary

The authors present the complete guide to ANSI standard C language programming. Written by the developers of C, this new version helps readers keep up with the finalized ANSI standard for C while showing how to take advantage of C's rich set of operators, economy of expression, improved control flow, and data structures. The 2/E has been completely rewritten with additional examples and problem sets to clarify the implementation of difficult language constructs. For years, C programmers have let K&R guide them to building well-structured and efficient programs. Now this same help is available to those working with ANSI compilers. Includes detailed coverage of the C language plus the official C language reference manual for at-a-glance help with syntax notation, declarations, ANSI changes, scope rules, and the list goes on and on.

Reader reviews for C Programming Language

Review summary

This seller has earned a 4.44 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.44 / 5 (11253 total reviews)

Readers widely hail Kernighan and Ritchie’s The C Programming Language as a seminal, elegantly terse cornerstone of systems programming—both a compact tutorial and an exemplary reference. Its minimalist prose, complete examples, and emphasis on pointers and memory are praised for cultivating rigorous thinking, and many cite its historical significance and influence across modern computing. Detractors argue it’s dry, austere, and dated relative to newer C standards and best practices; several note it’s not ideal for true beginners, lacks pedagogical handholding and solution keys, and omits contemporary application concerns. The consensus: indispensable as a classic and concise reference, best approached with some prior programming experience or supplemented by more modern texts.

Readers say this book is:
classicfoundationalconciseauthoritativetersedryoutdatedchallengingnot beginner-friendlyinspiring

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From the publisher

The definitive reference guide to C programming from K&R for writing good code that works and is easy to modify

Learn how to program in C from the developers of C, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie. Intended for those with at least some experience with one other language (even if you are a novice), this book contains a tutorial introduction to get new users started as soon as possible and separate chapters on each major feature:

  • Types, operators, and expressions
  • Control flow
  • Functions and program structure
  • Pointers and arrays
  • Structures
  • Input and output

This second edition of The C Programming Language describes C as defined by the ANSI standard and includes a reference manual that conveys the essentials of the standard in a smaller space for easy comprehension for programmers.

"K&R is one of my favorite books. The style of the tutorial chapters is so deceptively light and simple and the manual so crisp. Much of C's reputation of simplicity comes from the clarity and great little examples from this book. My 1978 copy has lost its cover and my K&R2 is somewhat dog eared. Above all, K&R is a useful book."

Bjarne Stroustrup, designer and original implementer of C++, and author of The C++ Programming Language

From the rear cover

This book is meant to help the reader learn how to program in C. It is the definitive reference guide, now in a second edition. Although the first edition was written in 1978, it continues to be a worldwide best-seller. This second edition brings the classic original up to date to include the ANSI standard.

From the Preface:

We have tried to retain the brevity of the first edition. C is not a big language, and it is not well served by a big book. We have improved the exposition of critical features, such as pointers, that are central to C programming. We have refined the original examples, and have added new examples in several chapters. For instance, the treatment of complicated declarations is augmented by programs that convert declarations into words and vice versa. As before, all examples have been tested directly from the text, which is in machine-readable form.

As we said in the first preface to the first edition, C "wears well as one's experience with it grows." With a decade more experience, we still feel that way. We hope that this book will help you to learn C and use it well.

Details

  • Title C Programming Language
  • Author Dennis Ritchie; Brian Kernighan
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 2nd Edition
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Pearson, Lebanon, Indiana, U.s.a.
  • Publication date 1988-03-22
  • ISBN 9780131103627 / 0131103628
  • Weight 1 lbs (0.45 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.2 x 6.9 x 0.6 in (23.37 x 17.53 x 1.52 cm)
  • Category Computers - Languages / Programming
  • Library of Congress subjects C (Computer program language)
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 88-5934
  • Dewey Decimal Code 005

About the author

Brian W. Kernighan received his BASc from the University of Toronto in 1964 and a PhD in electrical engineering from Princeton in 1969. He was a member of the Computing Science Research center at Bell Labs until 2000, and is now a professor in the Computer Science Department at Princeton. He was a co-creator of several programming languages, including AWK, AMPL, and a number of tools for document preparation. He is the co-author of 10 books and some technical papers, and holds 4

patents. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2002. His research areas include programming languages, tools and interfaces that make computers easier to use, often for non-specialist users. He is also interested in technology

education for non-technical audiences.

Dennis Ritchie was a computer scientist notable for his influence on ALTRAN, B, BCPL, C, Multics, and Unix.

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