This book, published in 2002, is the best effort by Stephen Plata to date, and is adequate both as a text book and as a reference.

From a student perspective, the book is full of example code, programming exercises, review material, and answers to review questions.

The book properly reflects the now-common accessibility of standard C++ compilers and libraries. 

The book also is complete from a novice C++ programmer's standpoint--it starts with constants and variables, and moves all the way through to significant information on the standard template library (STL) and working with classes and templates.

The weak point of the book is its tendency to include all the details of a topic in its mainline discussion, which can be very distracting for those relying on reading to gain basic knowledge of these topics.