It's refreshing to find the occasional book on C++ which doesn't focus entirely on Microsoft's Visual C and instead looks at the wider picture.

Presented here for the reader's delectation are 24 "hour-long" lessons which concentrate on the features of C++ in general without getting bogged down in the intricacies of the MFC and other MS specific coding conventions which aren't always appropriate for the C programmer. So, what we have here is a helpful beginners book to what can be a complex subject which achieves it's goals with some style.

From the compulsory explanation of basic syntax and data types through to object-orientation, polymorphism and more this is a measured treatment of the subject at hand which is written in an engaging way making it a pleasure, rather than a chore, to read. The time estimate of one hour per lesson seems a little on the conservative side and especially latter chapters could benefit from rather more than 60 minutes of study, but this is a minor criticism at the end of the day.

In addition to the core elements, author Jesse Liberty shows how to get the examples up and running with DJGPP compiler (provided on CD-ROM with a bucketful of other useful utilities) or with Microsoft's Visual C++ package (they couldn't leave it out altogether!) Beginners could do a lot worse than look towards Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours, it's clean, clear and simple to understand.