The text assumes that the reader already knows the basics of C++ or the C language. It begins with three chapters that cover iostreams, structures, reference variables, pointers, and dynamic memory allocation. For those who know the basics of C++, these chapters provide a solid review while for those with only a C background can learn these basic extensions to the language. Then, the principles of class design are covered on a gradient scale as bit by bit all of the basics of classes are presented including operator overloaded functions and the use of dynamic memory allocations within classes. Three chapters explore inheritance. The last four chapters cover more advanced OOP topics including the error handling mechanism, templates, binary I/O and ways a class instance can be stored on disk.