Also read some reviews of the book before you spend any time reading it. The mid 90's were a really bad time for C++ in my opinion since it was kind of a new language and being pushed heavily as the default 'learn computer programming' language (which Java later usurped). This means there are tons of very badly written and confusing resources that do more harm trying to teach C++ than actual good. Stuff like Deitel's C++ How To Program, etc.
For C++ in particular I can recommend:
Thinking in C++ (http://mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html) Although it's getting a little old, I think this is a great resource for someone just picking up the language.
A Tour of C++ (http://www.stroustrup.com/Tour.html) Great small intro to modern C++ programming, by the creator of the language.