Language Growth

Originally, the de facto standard for C++ was a 65-page reference manual included in the 328-page The C++ Programming Language, by Stroustrup (Addison-Wesley, 1986).

The next major published de facto standard was The Annotated C++ Reference Manual, by Ellis and Stroustrup (Addison-Wesley, 1990). This is a 453-page work; it includes substantial commentary in addition to reference material.

The C++98 standard, with the addition of many features, reached nearly 800 pages, even with only minimal commentary.

The C++11 standard is over 1,350 pages long, so it augments the old standard substantially.