C++ STL containers, 'under the bonnet'?

what would be the best way to learn what actually happens with the STL containers? I presume just pr开发者_JS百科ogramming wouldnt be enough. Are there any books specifically aimed at this?

This book is quite good, even if maybe it does not go deep enough in the details as you would like: The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference

Generic Programming and the STL: Using and Extending the C++ Standard Template Library

The best way to figure out what's happening 'under the bonnet' is to actually look under the hood and find the source code :)

Otherwise just read the documentation. I recommend this site, or this book.

Stephan T. Lavavej is currently doing video lectures about the STL.

There are books dedicated for C++ STL. You could try one of those.

Found the below resources quite useful:
May not be up-to-date but SGI Stl Programmer's Guide. It has a good conceptual overview of the STL library.
Source code navigation:
I've used the Free Evaluation Source Insight Code Browser which allows to jump all around the source code from sgi's stl code.
Alternatively you can try out LXR, doxygen, Ctags.

Videos:
STL Tutorial by Stephen Lavavej
Going Deep into STL with Stephen Lavavej
Inside STL with Stepan Lavavej
C++0x Features in VC10

See Also:
C++ Templates - The Complete Guide by Nicolai Josuttis
C++ Template Meta-Programming - Concepts, Tools and Techniques Inside the C++ Object Model by Stanley Lippman