The C Programming Language

I learned my first programming language as a kid, and Basic always felt like a beginner’s language. It wasn’t until I started writing C that I felt in control of the machine. This book is a classic and was on every C-programmer’s shelf in the 80s and 90s. It isn’t the easiest read but is remarkably comprehensive for a relatively thin volume. The fact that it has been in print for over 30 years tells you something about its staying power.

Nowadays, I tend to code in higher level languages, but every once and a while I dip down, getting… show more.

This is the defining book on the C language, written by the authors of the language and published in 1978.

By the early 1980’s it became the standard for writing systems software, helped by the fact that the UNIX operating system was written in it. UNIX grew to become the world’s dominant operating system, running over 90% of the world’s web servers. 

By the time I encountered the language I already had programmed extensively in assembler, COBOL, FORTRAN, and other languages. I had written a commercial FORTRAN compiler. The language changed my world, and this book was unique then and… show more.

C has been around forever, and most likely will be for much, much longer. Being able to read and understand C is crucial even if it is not the language of choice to write in these days.

Personally I see myself gaining appreciation for the design of a language by following the thoughts of the original authors and understanding what the intentions behind the design choices were, and this is what this book provides.

Most heavy-duty Unix / Liniux programs are written in C or C++.  This book is the classic introduction to C. The information to page ratio is one of the highest I’ve ever seen; the book is dense but well worth the effort. The writing is clear and concise and this book has become the standard by which most other programming language books are judged.

In college, I read the first edition straight through in a few days. My head was spinning from so much information; I then read the book straight through a second time, and everything gelled. The… show more.