C++ Books

The textbook from C++'s creator. Starts from scratch, teaches good habits early, and covers modern C++20. Best first book if you're serious about the language.

Step-by-step introduction through C++23 features. Covers modern syntax, the STL, and the idioms beginners need before moving to intermediate material.

Still one of the best introductions. Teaches C++ by using the standard library first — not raw pointers — leading to correct habits from chapter one.

Comprehensive beginner reference. Covers the full language breadth with many exercises. Slower-paced than Accelerated C++ but very thorough.

1,400+ page deep dive into professional C++ practices. The 2024 edition covers C++23. Goes from OOP to templates to concurrency to design patterns.

100+ focused recipes covering C++17 and C++20. Practical patterns for everyday problems: string handling, concurrency, templates, ranges.

Bridges the gap between knowing the language and writing professional-quality software. Covers OOP design, templates, concurrency, and C++20 features.

A project-based introduction to modern C++20. Structured as incremental puzzles, building up to real programs. Strong on modern idioms.

The modern approach to CMake: targets, properties, and transitive dependencies instead of global variables. Covers testing, packaging, and CI integration.

Teaches algorithms and data structures using the modern C++ STL. Covers complexity, iterator patterns, and when to reach for each standard container.

42 specific ways to improve your C++11/14 usage. Covers move semantics, perfect forwarding, lambda best practices, smart pointer rules, and concurrency. Still essential despite age.

Modern take on design patterns using value semantics and type erasure instead of inheritance. Covers std::variant, concepts, and the 'Type Erasure' idiom in depth.

Thirty essays, each focused on one C++ Core Guideline. Shows not just the rule but the reasoning and the refactoring path. Excellent for code reviews.

45 actionable rules with specific coding examples. Covers modern C++17/20 idioms, static analysis, build tooling, and correctness. Concise and opinionated.

The C++23 companion to Turner's earlier Best Practices. Covers C++23-specific idioms and library additions with the same practical, direct style.

The most complete modern treatment of TMP. Covers variadic templates, fold expressions, SFINAE, concepts, and policy-based design. C++20 aware.

Everything about C++ lambdas from C++11 to C++20: capture modes, generic lambdas, recursive lambdas, IIFE, and performance implications.

Walks through designing a complete application from scratch, demonstrating design patterns in real context — not toy examples.

The authoritative reference from the language's creator. 1,300 pages covering the full C++11 standard. Dense but comprehensive — the reference book to own.

Complete reference for the standard library through C++23. Covers all containers, algorithms, ranges, concurrency, format, expected, and C++23 additions.

Deep dive into every corner of the C++ standard library. The definitive STL reference — covers the why behind design decisions, not just the API.

47 engineering puzzles covering exception safety, RAII, the PIMPL idiom, and generic programming. Still the best source on writing truly exception-safe C++.

101 rules from two C++ legends. Covers naming, design, coding patterns, and common pitfalls. The rules have aged well and remain relevant in modern codebases.