Addison-Wesley Professional
1 edition
July 2006
768 pages
Reviewed by Jeanne Boyarsky, August 2006
(10 of 10)
"Essential C#" does for C# what Deitel did for Java. It's great book to learn C# from the ground up or for experienced developers. I was a bit skeptical of the claim that the book is for everyone -- beginners, experienced developers, structured programmers, C/C++/Java developers and C# professionals. However, through a combination of sidebars and text that makes sense on different levels, the author managed to achieve this lofty goal.
This truly is a book for developers. It includes refactoring and other best practices. I especially liked the part on well-formed types and how to properly implement equals. There is a strong emphasis on the language itself, which is great. The first mention of Windows Forms is almost page 600. A nice contrast to those book that teach the language solely through visual editors. The author also gives equal time to the .NET and Mono implementations.
The back cover states the book is "clear and concise." Weighing in at 700 pages, the book does manage to stay true to this claim. Code examples are short and focused. I only found one over a page long. Descriptions are clear, accurate and easy to follow. I strongly recommend this book to any considering working with C#. t really is "Essential" !
(10 of 10)
