by David Abrahams
Expect a dense, code-first manual that forces you to think of C++ types as executable pieces of logic. Main value: it turns template syntax into reusable compile-time techniques through many worked examples and concrete implementations. Main limitation: the book assumes strong prior knowledge of C++ templates and spends little time on gentle introductions or modern standard shortcuts, so newcomers or readers seeking hand-holding will struggle. Best read with a compiler on hand so you can run and tinker with the examples.
This summary and audience guidance are AI-generated from the book's description and its recommendation history, last updated June 2026. Recommendations, quotes and sources elsewhere on this page come from published material and are not generated.
Abrahams and Gurtovoy have written something close to a classic... marvelous fun to read... Read the complete book review by Jack J. Woehr, Dr. Dobbs Journal, June 03, 2005 "If you're like me, you're excited by what people do with template metaProgramming, (TMP) but are frustrated at the lack of clear guidance and powerful tools. Well, this is the b...
Difficulty:hard
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appears in Programming and Technology.
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Consider Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Starts as a vivid inventory of inventors, projects, and lab culture at Xerox PARC, written in reporterly detail that foregrounds anecdotes and corporate memos. Main value is a textured sense of how early GUI, networking, and printing research happened and how personalities and management decisions shaped outcomes. Limitation: the narrative can dwell on minutiae and internal politics, slowing forward momentum and offering few clear takeaways for readers seeking practical lessons or modern startup playbooks. It reads like sustained magazine reporting, so detail-oriented readers are rewarded while those after a brisk how-to may be frustrated.”
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
