C# Books (Recomendations)

[alivingspirit]

Hi Everybody. I was just wondering if anybody read any good books on C# lately. I am taking a C# course next semester and I'm looking for a book that's comprehensive but I'm also interested in application-specific books if they are really good.

[MilesAhead]

No matter what C++ programming books you get with concrete examples, you should have the bible on the shelf.  Not only to nail down how a particular feature of the language is supposed to work, but it gets into a bit of why it was done that way:

http://www2.research...att.com/~bs/3rd.html

[wraith808]

Ummm... he said C#

I've been purchasing the manning books as of late, and all of them have been good.

I can recommend without reservation

• C# in Depth
• Windows Forms in Action

Also of note are Essential C# 3.0 and Professional C# 2008.

[mouser]

C# 4.0 In A Nutshell looks quite good too.

[MilesAhead]

Ummm... he said C#

-wraith808 (April 29, 2010, 08:55 PM)

My eyes must have crossed or something. It sure looked like ++ to me.
Anyway it wouldn't hurt. It's basically C++ with garbage collection and a bunch of other stuff swiped from Java and Smalltalk.

edit: other than books this is an excellent resource:
http://www.codeproject.com/

I don't go in much for buying books anymore.. just hunt down the docs on the web.  The only C# book I have on hand is 8 years old.  Chris Sells Windows Forms Programming in C# probably only available in the bargain bin or the public library.   It was good in its time to get the basics for form/dialog programming though.

[CWuestefeld]

I'm not sure which books are good at an introductory level, but once you've got the basics, there are three I'd recommend to help you really understand C#:

• Effective C# - this contains a lot of really useful information like when to use a class versus a struct, when and how to properly implement IComparable, etc.
• Practical .NET2 and C#2 - Much more in-depth information that will give you a better understanding of how C# works internally, and how it interacts with the .Net platform. This is how I got to really understand closures, for example.
• More Effective C# - builds on the beginning of the first book, including devoting a big chunk of space to using LINQ.

[wraith808]

• Practical .NET2 and C#2 - Much more in-depth information that will give you a better understanding of how C# works internally, and how it interacts with the .Net platform. This is how I got to really understand closures, for example.

-CWuestefeld (April 30, 2010, 11:27 AM)

I started to recommend that one because it's just *so* good... but with the changes introduced in C# 3 and .NET 3 and 3.5, I was on the fence as to whether it was a fair recommendation still.  I also like C# Design Patterns, but didn't recommend it for the same reasons.

[CWuestefeld]

I started to recommend that one because it's just *so* good... but with the changes introduced in C# 3 and .NET 3 and 3.5, ...

-wraith808 (April 30, 2010, 12:41 PM)

I thought about that too. However, everything it says about the older stuff (which is still most of the language!) is still true. Also, while my pleasant experience was with the original release of the book, what I've linked to is a 2nd edition that claims to be updated for .Net 3. While I don't know firsthand what the quality of those updates for, the overall excellent quality of the 1st edition makes me optimistic.

[app103]

Here is the C# section on my free ebook site: http://appsapps.com/ebooks/?cat=10

Might as well go for it, since they are all free.

This is one of the most popular books I have listed: http://www.programme...ven.com/2/CSharpBook

[alivingspirit]

Wow! Thanks a lot. This really gives me quite a bit to look at.

I'm not sure which books are good at an introductory level, but once you've got the basics, there are three I'd recommend to help you really understand C#:

• Effective C# - this contains a lot of really useful information like when to use a class versus a struct, when and how to properly implement IComparable, etc.

-CWuestefeld (April 30, 2010, 11:27 AM)

I am skeptical about this book. I read Effective Java and Effective C++. I got a lot out of Effective C++ but very little out of Effective Java. While both of the books teach about the quirks of their respective languages, while Effective C++ told me a lot about C++ that I would never have known even with extensive studies of the language elsewhere, Effective Java seemed to be repeating what was already self evident if you learned the language properly in the first place.

Here is the C# section on my free ebook site: http://appsapps.com/ebooks/?cat=10

Might as well go for it, since they are all free.

This is one of the most popular books I have listed: http://www.programme...ven.com/2/CSharpBook

-app103 (April 30, 2010, 01:06 PM)

I also shy away from free books quite a bit. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't like reading anything lengthy onscreen. 

C# 4.0 In A Nutshell looks quite good too.

-mouser (April 29, 2010, 08:57 PM)

Looks interesting. There is always a difficult balance that reference writers try to find in their books, as they try to cater to noobs and experts in the languge they are writing about. Murach SQL Server is only book I read that I feel found that balance. In any case I have my doubts about using a book like this as an introduction to a language.

Ummm... he said C#

I've been purchasing the manning books as of late, and all of them have been good.

I can recommend without reservation

• C# in Depth
• Windows Forms in Action

Also of note are Essential C# 3.0 and Professional C# 2008.

-wraith808 (April 29, 2010, 08:55 PM)

I will have to check these out. Thanks.

[alivingspirit]

Quote from: mouser on April 29, 2010, 08:57:23 PM
C# 4.0 In A Nutshell looks quite good too.

Looks interesting. There is always a difficult balance that reference writers try to find in their books, as they try to cater to noobs and experts in the languge they are writing about. Murach SQL Server is only book I read that I feel found that balance. In any case I have my doubts about using a book like this as an introduction to a language.

I changed my mind. This book looks really good.