# Recommended texts

As a guide to programming in C we recommend:

- Harbison, S.P. and Steele, G.L., A C Reference Manual, (second edition, 1987). Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA. ISBN 0-13-109802-0.

- Kernighan, B.W. and Ritchie, D.M.,The C Programming Language (second edition, 1988). Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA. ISBN 0-13-110362-8.

Harbison and Steele is a very thorough reference guide to C, including a useful amount of information on ANSI C.

Kernighan and Ritchie is the original C bible, updated to cover the essentials of ANSI C. Many users prefer it to Harbison and Steele.

Because the ARM C compiler is a compiler for ANSI C, these books are especially relevant but, in each case, the second edition must be obtained for coverage of ANSI C. Note also that because the ANSI standard, formally adopted in February 1990, is identical to the December 1988 draft standard, both of these texts are reasonably up to date.

We also recommend:

- Koenig, A, (1989),C Traps and Pitfalls, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass.
- SBN 0-201-17928-8.

which explains in impressively few pages how to avoid the most common traps and pitfalls that ensnare even the most experienced C programmers. It provides informative reading at all levels of competence in C.

Finally, the definitive ANSI C reference is:

- American National Standard for Information Systems - Programming Language C, X3J11/90-013, Feb. 14, 1990.

In the United Kingdom, the standard is available from:

- British Standards Institution,Foreign Sales Department, Linford Wood Milton Keynes MK14 6LE

(Members of the BSI can order copies by telephone; non-members should send a cheque payable to BSI).

In other countries the standard is available from the national standards body (e.g. AFNOR in France, ANSI in the USA). In Europe, the standard may be more readily (and more cheaply) available as the corresponding draft ISO standard.

However, the coverage of ANSI C in this chapter, and in the books listed above, should be adequate for all but the most demanding requirements.