for the final version of the second edition

for the 2018 edition

We've distributed a copy of "The Rust Programming Language," affectionately nicknamed "the book", with every version of Rust since Rust 1.0.

However, because it was written before Rust 1.0, it started showing its age. Many parts of the book are vague, because it was written before the true details were nailed down for the 1.0 release. It didn't do a fantastic job of teaching lifetimes.

Starting with Rust 1.18, we shipped drafts of a second edition of the book. The final version was shipped with Rust 1.26. The second edition is a complete re-write from the ground up, using the last two years of knowledge we’ve gained from teaching people Rust.

You can purchase a printed version of the second edition from No Starch Press. Now that the print version has shipped, the second edition is frozen.

As of 1.31, the book has been completely updated for the 2018 Edition release. It's still pretty close to the second edition, but contains information about newer features since the book's content was frozen. Additionally, instead of publishing separate editions of the book, only the latest version of the book is published online. You’ll find brand-new explanations for a lot of Rust’s core concepts, new projects to build, and all kinds of other good stuff. Please check it out and let us know what you think!