The Sams' Teach yourself Java 1.1 in 24 hours could maybe offer something to the beginner. Mainly because it was based on simple Java console applications. You hadn't also to learn such a complex development environment as Microsoft's Visual Studio, which can be a challenge by itself, so that concept felt a bit sensible.

However, in this case the author tries to compress into 400 pages no lesser topics than the C++ language from basics through to OOP, the MFCs, the Visual Studio environment and on top of that also advanced topics such as ActiveX controls.

Of course the whole thing crash-lands. I found the text hard to read and difficult to follow. The pages are split into sections such as 'caution', 'time saver', 'new term', 'table' and pictures, with small, almost unreadable text on them. The greatest drawback is however the absence of code samples. They are very few and short and in most cases show simple console programs. Hungarian notation is presented as something almost unavoidable.

I do not call in question the author's knowledge, but you will need to be a seasoned programmer to hope to benefit from this text.