Understanding and Using C Pointers

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1. wmwraggOct 2025
   The book "Understanding and Using C Pointers: Core Techniques for Memory Management" by Richard M Reese, is a great way to learn pointers
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2. wmwraggOct 2022
   Despite what many think, I'd say the "The C Programming Language (2nd Edition - ANSI C)" by Brian Kernighan & Dennis Ritchie (K&R) book is still a good introduction to C. It doesn't go into best practices, or other forms of more advanced C programming, but it teaches C well. I'd pair it with "Understanding and Using C Pointers: Core Techniques for Memory Management" by Richard M Reese to get a good understanding of the pointer underpinnings of C. They are both small, well written and easily digestible.
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3. lioetersApr 2020
   I'm in a similar situation as the parent comment, wanting to re-learn C after more than a decade (or two). Thanks for the link to a recent discussion! For the parent, here are some of the recommended books:

   Head First C - Griffiths and Griffiths

   Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets - Peter van der Linden

   Modern C - Jens Gustedt

   C Programming: A Modern Approach - K. N. King

   21st Century C: C Tips from the New School - Ben Klemens

   Understanding and Using C Pointers - Richard Reese

   C Interfaces and Implementations: Techniques for Creating Reusable Software - David R. Hanson

   The Standard C Library - P. J. Plauger

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4. sramsayMar 2020
   It sounds like you're not asking, "How do I learn the language?" but "How do I know I'm doing it right?"

   I think Gustedt's book is superb if you're just trying to learn the language, and it does a good job of presenting the most up-to-date standard. I admire the K&R as much as anyone else, but it's not exactly an up-to-date language resource at this point, and it doesn't really provide any guidance on the design and structure of systems in C (that's not it's purpose).

   You might have a look at Hanson's C Interfaces and Implementations: Techniques for Creating Reusable Software. That's focused on large projects and APIs, but it will give you a good sense of the "cognitive style" of C.

   21st Century C is very opinionated, and it spends a great deal of time talking about tooling, but overall, it's a pretty good orientation to the C ecosystem and more modern idioms and libraries.

   I might also put in a plug for Reese's Understanding and Using C Pointers. That sounds a bit narrow, but it's really a book about how you handle -- and think about -- memory in C, and it can be very eye-opening (even for people with a lot of experience with the language).

   C forces you to think about things that you seldom have to consider with Javascript, Python, or Go. And yes: it's an "unsafe" language that can set your hair on fire. But there are advantages to it as well. It's screaming-fast, the library ecosystem is absolutely gigantic, there are decades of others' wisdom and experience upon which to draw, it shows no signs of going away any time soon, and you'll have very little trouble keeping up with changes in the language.

   It's also a language that you can actually hold in your head at one time, because there's very little sugar going on. It's certainly possible to write extremely obfuscated code, but in practice, I find that I'm only rarely baffled reading someone else's C code. If I am, it's usually because I don't understand the problem domain, not the language.

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5. gjkoodMar 2020
   To start with, "The C Programming Langauge", Kernighan & Richie (K & R) [1]. Find the latest edition that you can buy.

   I think the primary topic to master in C is pointers. This is where most falter. It takes a few years to "master" (if we ever do). Here I would recommend "Understanding and Using C Pointers", Richard Reese. [2]

   If you are interested in networking, any of the classic "TCP/IP Illustrated Vols I/II/III", W. Richard Stevens, [3] contain a ton of C code to implement components of TCP/IP.

   If you are interested in Graphics, then "Graphics Gems", Andrew Glassner [4] is a good source.

   "An Introduction to GCC", Brian Gough, [5] to understand the tooling and its various bells and whistles.

   My learning swimming by jumping into the deep end of the pool experience was realized by learning Windows Programming using the Charles Petzold book and navigating through Microsoft Foundation Classes in the late 80s/early 90s. The state of the art in tooling wasn't that great in those days and I spent months with the book to get things going. This was done after I had built a foundation with K&R and a decent amount of Unix network programming.

   I see a lot of the other posts recommend more modern books. But you still need to build your foundation on C and Pointers in particular.

   Good luck on your journey.

   [1] https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-2nd-Brian-Kernig...

   [2] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Using-Pointers-Techniqu...

   [3] https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Protocols-Addison-Wes...

   [4] https://www.amazon.com/Graphics-Gems-Andrew-S-Glassner/dp/01...

   [5] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-GCC-GNU-Compilers/dp/095...

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6. wmwraggMar 2020
   I've recommended this on here before, but I’ve found "Understanding and Using C Pointers" by Richard Reese, a really wonderful modern book on C.
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