[cantrevealname]

I'd go even further: I would say that K&R is the best written book in all of computer science.

It is so brief, yet it covers everything about C, introduces you to programming and to UNIX, and teaches you style. It's written by no less than the guy who coined the term "UNIX" (the K in K&R) and the inventor of C (the R). The original K&R--not including the reference manual at the end--was only 177 pages. The updated ANSI C version, 189 pages.

The opposite is any book about Java. The usual university-level Java books are a sickening 1000+ pages.

I've often wondered how anyone who's trying to learn something new can prefer a thick book over a thin one. I deliberately look for thin books -- but most people must fall for the thick==better notion.