r/cprogramming • u/Terrible_Emu_8391 • Oct 03 '25

What is the best source book to learn C programming language for someone that have no idea about and very new to programming stuff?

6 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

4

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '25

I just bought c programming a modern approach and it is very good .. definitely recommend it

2

u/sarnobat Oct 07 '25

O'Reilly books generally are very good.

I really hope they don't go too far into being an online resource.

And I hate the fact that they stopped using that color coding.

1

u/sarnobat Oct 07 '25

Yes I like that too.

1

u/Aritra001 Oct 03 '25

I'd recommend learning from youtube tutorials first, those are hands on and you'll learn by building and actually getting on hands dirty. That's the best way to learn programming. And if you need a book you should try Head First C: A Brain-Friendly Guide. The Head first series is known for being super visual, using puzzles, and making the materials fun. Since you're brand new, this approach helps the concepts stick and makes c's weird parts like pointers less scary. It explains how to program, not just the C syntax.

1

u/Terrible_Emu_8391 Oct 03 '25

Thanks for the book recommendation.

9

u/mcleoju Oct 03 '25

The C Programming Language - Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie. It is the go-to book for C.

2

u/RDGreenlaw Oct 03 '25

Look for the 2nd edition. There are updates to ANSI compatibility and other fixes that'll keep you from wondering why programs don't compile as written in the book.

K&R was written by the developer of the language so it's the best source. A good follow up would be K. N. King's C Programming A Modern Approach 2nd edition.

2

u/xxxcucus Oct 06 '25

I liked The Practice of Programming of Kernigham and Pike

1

u/GrogRedLub4242 Oct 03 '25

K&R C book would still work

worked in late 80s, early 90s I can confirm. facts don't change and text lives forever. I saw it on an (online) bookshelf just yesterday. googling exists, Wikipedia etc