C++ templates are relatively old concept. The idea of templates is described by many authors, mostly through articles, papers and publications. The book "C++ Templates - The Complete Guide", written by David Vandevoorde and Nicolai M. Josuttis, is more detailed description of C++ templates. The book focuses on all aspects of template programming. In the Part I, the book describes basic elements of the template programming. Part II describes inner-workings of compiler during template instantiation, while Part III focuses on somewhat practical aspect of template programming. Particularly interesting are sections on meta-programming and expression templates, two very powerful programming techniques. Part IV focuses on types, smart pointers, containers, and functors (function objects).

Generally, the book addresses everything you need to know about templates. This book is strongly recommended for every C++ programmer!