Book · 1985
The C++ Programming Language
by Bjarne Stroustrup
Bjarne Stroustrup's own manual for the language he built — 1,300 pages that explain every design decision, including the ones you're cursing right now.
What does Reddit think of The C++ Programming Language?
r/programming and r/compsci each treat it more as a historical artifact: the Bjarne Stroustrup quote about languages people complain about gets recycled across both subs at combined upvotes north of 450, which says something about how Reddit relates to this text. The contested part is accessibility. Nobody on r/learnprogramming calls it beginner-friendly — the praise is about thoroughness, not ease. r/ExperiencedDevs has a single mention from 2022, and the CppCon-shirt joke in r/learnprogramming (↑329) captures the cultural positioning better than any earnest endorsement: this is the book for people already deep enough to find that funny.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Language design rationale from the author
- · Reference depth over tutorial accessibility
- · C++ as a professional prerequisite
- · Historical context of systems programming
- · Template metaprogramming and advanced features
Common praise
- + The author's own explanations of why the language works the way it does actually justify design decisions that look bizarre in every other book.
- + r/learnprogramming regulars consistently point beginners toward this when they want thorough foundations rather than tutorial shortcuts.
- + Covers the full standard in one place, so you stop needing to triangulate between cppreference and Stack Overflow for edge cases.
Common criticism
- − Nobody pretends the 1,300 pages are welcoming — the entry cost is real and Reddit rarely recommends it to anyone without prior C++ exposure.
- − r/programming and r/compsci treat it more as a quotable historical document than a book people are actively working through.
- − With only 41 total mentions over seven years, its Reddit footprint is modest — Stroustrup's quotes get more traction than the book itself.
Who it's for
You've already written C++ from tutorials or job necessity and keep hitting walls where you don't understand *why* the language behaves a certain way. That's who this is for. If you're coming from Python or Java and want to learn systems programming, start elsewhere — r/learnprogramming points here only after foundations are down. The single r/ExperiencedDevs mention suggests working engineers treat it as a shelf reference, not a cover-to-cover read. Pick it up when you need to understand the design, not when you need to get something working by Friday.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The C++ Programming Language?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“There are only two kinds of languages: the ones people complain about and the ones nobody uses. Bjarne Stroustrup, The C++ Programming Language
“C++ absolutely gives you superpowers. The line at the club the other night was two hours long, but when the bouncer saw my CppCon tshirt he let me in right away. I went to the bar and set up my laptop. Girls couldn't stop complimenting my template metaprogramming skills. I got 15 phone numbers a…
“The context about the era during the release is very interesting >That same year, Bjarne Stroustrup was in the middle of developing the first version of the C++ programming language, ARPANET standardized TCP/IP. Borland …
“Here's my list of the classics: **General Computing** * But How Do It Know? - The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone * The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles * […
“I don't understand why people want her to be specifically **the first** programmer so badly, as if being a pioneer in the field of computing, possibly a programmer herself (see disputes over contributions), and being crucial to its spread are somehow not monumental achievements already. Babbage was…
“>There are only two kinds of languages: the ones people complain about and the ones nobody uses. Bjarne Stroustrup, The C++ Programming Language
“\> QT is available under LGPL license which prohibits you from statically linking your application without releasing the source code This is \*false\*. LGPL has never prohibited static linking. It gives the proprietary author a bit more work if he wants to comply but it is definitely possible: [h…
“If you want a thorough foundation in C++ I highly suggest you read a book on it rather than youtube videos. You can learn the basics through youtube but C++ is a bit more complicated than other languages and you would be better prepared if you took some time to read a book and follow along writing y…
Convinced? Pick up The C++ Programming Language
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The C++ Programming Language — counted from the comments, not curated.
C++ Primer
Stanley B. Lippman
The 1,000-page C++ textbook that r/learnprogramming recommends by name whenever someone asks how to learn the language seriously.
Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++
Bjarne Stroustrup
The language's creator teaches you to program from scratch using C++, treating beginner and language together as a single curriculum.
The C Programming Language
Brian W. Kernighan
The 1978 book that defined C's syntax, co-written by its creator, still cited by name 281 times across Reddit in 7 years.
The C++ Programming Language — frequently asked
Is The C++ Programming Language a good book for beginners?+
Depends on how you define beginner. r/learnprogramming, which accounts for 19 of the book's 43 Reddit mentions, recommends it for people who want a thorough foundation — but the praise is always about depth, never about ease of entry. If you've never written C++, start with something shorter. Come back to Stroustrup once the basics aren't the problem.
What does Reddit actually think of The C++ Programming Language?+
r/learnprogramming is the warmest sub, r/programming mostly recycles Stroustrup's quotes rather than discussing the book itself. It's respected but not heavily circulated — the CppCon-shirt joke at ↑329 in r/learnprogramming is probably the book's most-upvoted moment, which tells you something.
Should I read The C++ Programming Language or just use cppreference?+
The book explains why; cppreference explains what. r/learnprogramming commenters argue the book's value is precisely the authorial rationale you can't get from reference docs — Stroustrup designed the language and the text reflects that. For day-to-day lookups, cppreference wins. For understanding why templates work the way they do, the book earns its shelf space.
Is The C++ Programming Language still relevant in 2026?+
Yes, though Reddit's engagement has slowed — 2 mentions in 2025 versus 10 in 2024 and 10 in 2020. The core design rationale doesn't expire, but modern C++ tutorials and the standard's own evolution mean fewer people reach for the fourth edition first. r/compsci and r/programming still cite it, mostly for the historical record and the Stroustrup quotes that keep circulating.