The C Programming Language (also known as K&R or "the white book") is a famous computer science book which has been influential in the application and development of the C programming language. The book was written by Dennis Ritchie, who designed the language, and by Brian Kernighan.

The first edition of the book, published in 1978, discusses the original usage of C by AT&T; this "dialect" of C is sometimes referred to as K&R C. In 1988 a second edition was published which covers ANSI C. The book has since been translated into over 20 languages.

The style of formatting programs used in the book is often called "K&R style" or the "One True Brace Style".

The book is widely regarded as being very well written, due to the clarity in which it expresses the material combined with the breadth and density of the coverage. There are very few wasted words, while still being approachable. This clarity and conciseness for a highly technical subject is quite remarkable. These qualities make the book still quite useful even today.

It is also well known because it was the only coverage of the C language for some time before the standardization bodies developed the exhaustive specifications. The utility and portability of the language for its time also contributed to its popularity, thus making the book describing it a popular one.

Further reading

• The C Programming Language. Kernighan & Ritchie, 1978. ISBN 0131103628

External link

• Bell Labs page about the book