5 Essential Beginner C++ Books for Financial Engineers

C++ is not an easy language to learn, especially if you have no prior programming background. With its numerous features and its nature resembling a "federation of languages," Quant analysts often need to use multiple books together to fully understand the language.

Here are 5 books that are suitable for building a foundation in C++, especially for use in the finance sector:

1. Sams Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day (8th Edition)

By Siddhartha Rao

This book covers the C++14 standard with a preview of C++17, suitable for those with no prior C++ background (or even those who have never programmed before). Starting from the compilation process, variables, expressions, functions, program control, arrays, and strings, before moving on to object-oriented concepts (OOP), memory management, and polymorphism.

Even though the title says "one hour a day," learners should set aside at least 2–3 hours per lesson to truly understand the material.

Recommendation: Suitable for complete beginners.

2. C++: A Beginner's Guide (2nd Edition)

By Herbert Schildt

The content is similar to Rao's book but goes deeper into certain topics, making it suitable to be used in conjunction. The highlight is the appendix that discusses the preprocessor and working with old compilers, which is useful if you encounter legacy systems in financial companies.

Recommendation: Enhance your understanding from the first volume, especially if you need in-depth details on certain topics.

3. Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example

By Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo

This book adopts a "learning by example" approach from the beginning, such as using strings and vectors before moving on to more complex concepts like memory management or inheritance. Suitable for those who want to learn primarily through hands-on experience.

Talking about smart pointers, which are often not found in beginner books but are important for developing safe and flexible programs.

Recommendation: Suitable for those who learn from examples and do not want to focus heavily on theory.

4. Introduction to C++ for Financial Engineers: An Object-Oriented Approach

By Daniel J. Duffy

This book starts with the basics of C++ and moves directly into applications with financial models, such as using classes, memory management, operator overloading, and inheritance in the context of finance.

At the end of the book, there are practical examples such as creating a binomial model, solving the Black-Scholes equation using FDM, and Monte Carlo methods.

Recommendation: Suitable for those who have started to grasp C++ and want to learn how to apply it to solve real-world financial problems.

5. Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs (3rd Edition)

By Scott Meyers

This book is often regarded as a "boot camp manual" for those preparing for Quant/C++ job interviews, compiling 55 tips for writing efficient and safe C++. It covers object creation/destruction, resource management, inheritance, templates, and more.

Each topic is explained in depth but without being verbose, making it suitable for those who want to elevate their skills from "able to write" to "able to write well."

Advice: Read after understanding the basics. Use it to prepare for the C++/Quant job interview.

These five books will help lay a solid foundation and develop C++ programming skills for financial engineering tasks.

Reference: Top 5 Essential Beginner C++ Books for Financial Engineers

From https://www.quantstart.com/articles/Top-5-Essential-Beginner-C-Books-for-Financial-Engineers/