K&R is a remarkably good and concise introduction to C. I think that C is actually good, and that C++ is a Scooby-Doo sandwich of fail. But this is an opinion

K&R is a remarkably good and concise introduction to C. I think that C is actually good, and that C++ is a Scooby-Doo sandwich of fail. But this is an opinion concerning a particular domain (low-level programming) that doesn't carry over to anywhere else.