Q: What's a good book for learning C? What about advanced books and references?
A: There are far too many books on C to list here; it's impossible to rate them all. Many people believe that the best one was also the first: The C Programming Language, by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie (``K&R,'' now in its second edition). Opinions vary on K&R's suitability as an initial programming text: many of us did learn C from it, and learned it well; some, however, feel that it is a bit too clinical as a first tutorial for those without much programming background. Several sets of annotations and errata are available on the net, by J. Blustein, this FAQ list's author, and K&R themselves.
Many comp.lang.c regulars recommend C: A Modern Approach, by K.N. King.
An excellent reference manual is C: A Reference Manual, by Samuel P. Harbison and Guy L. Steele, now in its fourth edition.
Though not suitable for learning C from scratch, this FAQ list has been published in book form; see the Bibliography.
The Association of C and C++ Users (ACCU) maintains a comprehensive set of bibliographic reviews of C/C++ titles.
See also question 18.9.
Additional links: Ian Hay's recommended book list
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