"The book is an introduction to programming in general, including object-oriented programming and generic programming. It is also a solid introduction to the C++ programming language, one of the most widely used languages for real-world software. The book presents modern C++ programming techniques from the start, introducing the C++ standard library to simplify programming tasks." "The book is primarily designed for people who have never programmed before, and it has been tested with more than 1,000 first-year university students. However, practitioners and advanced students will gain new insight and guidance by seeing how a recognized master approaches the elements of his art."--Jacket.