Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example

Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo. I'm sure it's hopelessly outdated and irrelevant today. It was one of the first CS books I read and I really dug into and grokked it. I think it played a large role in the developer I became. It's very pragmatic, but also pushes into thinking through the design of your system and also digs into the "why" and "how" of what is going on and balances all of this quite well IMO. I still have my copy on my shelf.

Accelerated C++ involves working on a program to analyze student grades. The book itself is excellent, but the overarching project is very dry.

Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo (http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-C-Practical-Programming-Ex... (http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-C-Practical-Programming-Example/dp/020170353X)). One of the best introductory programming books, and one of the best introductory books in general, that I've ever read.

I will second the vote for Mastering Algorithms in C. This book will bring you right into the details you want: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/1565924533) Accelerated C++ was also mentioned and I just love this book. It brought me back to C++ after years of being away: http://www.acceleratedcpp.com/