Whew!!! I finally finished this book. It took me several months to do it. I didn't skip a page, literally licked the plate clean. Before starting this book I was a scripter. I have 8 years experience with Perl and shell. So I knew most of the concepts being covered. But it was still a challenging read. I found myself reading difficult sections over two and three times. After finishing, I now feel that I know the C++ language. Of course now comes the hardest part, spending years using the language. When it comes to programming there is no substitute for experience. The book does have some excellent real-world case studies with lots of code. The largest is an ATM program.To sum up, it's 1000 pages of pure technical material regarding the C++ language. Absolutely no filler, jokes, stories, etc. But when it comes to programming books, I find the best ones to do just that. I would NOT recommend this to a beginning programmer. The very first chapter hurls you into the dark forest of object oriented theory. For a beginner I would recommend "C How to Program" which is also a Deitel book. Then move on the objects. The title sums it up... this book is for people who already know at LEAST the basics.