Press releases

Think Like a Programmer--New from No Starch Press: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving

San Francisco, CA, July 31, 2012—There are plenty of resources out there that effectively teach programming languages. But the real challenge of programming isn't learning a language's syntax—it's learning to creatively solve problems in order to build something great.

In Think Like a Programmer (No Starch Press, August 2012, 256 pp., $34.95, ISBN 9781593274245), author V. Anton Spraul breaks down the ways programmers solve problems and teaches readers what other introductory books often ignore: how to Think Like a Programmer. Each chapter tackles a single programming concept—such as classes, pointers, or recursion—and illustrates how to apply the tool to real problems in innovative ways. Readers will learn techniques for organizing their thoughts, strategies to apply to particular types of problems, and ways they can avoid the frustration that often accompanies especially tricky challenges.

"Knowing how to write code is very different from knowing how to solve real-world programming challenges," said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. "The complaint we hear from students and working programmers is that their training is strong on theory, but weak on practice. Think Like a Programmer promises to help bridge that gap."

Think Like a Programmer will teach readers how to:

• Split problems into discrete components to make them easier to solve
• Make the most of code reuse with functions, classes, and libraries
• Pick the perfect data structure for a particular job
• Master more advanced programming tools like recursion and dynamic memory

As the most skillful programmers know, writing great code is a creative art—and the first step in creating a masterpiece is learning to Think Like a Programmer.