I want to learn how to program in c++, what books would you recommend?

C++ hasn't changed a lot on it's own. What is different are th e operating systems and the IDE's. So any good C++ book should work for learning the language. I really like the Bruce Eckel book Thinking in C++. It's free on line, though too it is older. Once you learn C++ (no small task) then you can tackle the features of Visual Studio Express. You first want to just do console apps in VS Express so you can focus on the C++ language. If you use Eckel's book, start with chapter three to get started then go back to the first two chapters.