Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for Learning and Reference
Review: I have never coded in C, C++, or Java but come from a very solid VB background. I was looking forward to learning object oriented programming but was quite a bit nevouse. This book led me by the hand vey well. It covered the c# language in depth and I still keep it as a reference 6 mos later. It also built a foundation for the .net framework, asp.net, winforms, and ado.net. I completed the picture of winforms and ado.net using the visual studio documentation and purchased the asp.net book by the same author.I recommend this strongly to anyone starting out on the platform. Everyone at our office agrees with this review. We cannot keep track of our 3 copies. It would be nice to have a reference copy on CD or the web.
Rating:
Summary: Quite good coverage
Review: One of the best book available in the market. I am pleased with the coverage both in depth and width of the subject to certain extent. Initial few chapter talks about .NET and C# basics. The book explains programming ado.net, web services, assemblies, reflection, threads, streams and interoperability with COM etc, in separate chapters. Besides the fact that it is a quite good book, it is annoying to see lots of mistakes. Function names are mixed with camel and pascal notations like myVoidMethod() and MyVoidMethod(). Even we can see the class names myClass and MyClass in examples. Some times code is written for class Hello and explantions is given on class HelloWorld. There are missing links like performance implications on overriding finalize() method etc. Besides all the above problems, I believe, this book deserves 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly useful book - very well written
Review: This incredibly useful book is not only the best C# book I've found, it is one of the very best language tutorials I've ever read. It is exceptionally well written, and covers the material that I cared about. While the first part teaches the language in great detail, and is filled with useful examples, the second and third parts go on to show you how to use C# in building .NET applications. This is where the book really shines. I'm very impressed with the writing skill but also with the clarity and relevence of the examples. Really, this is one of the best technical books I've ever read, and I recommend it very highly.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book On The Topic
Review: What a great book. Well written, straight forward, good examples. I always turn to O'Reilly for the best books, and this one is no exception. If you want to learn C# and you know anything about programming in any lanugage, especially if you already know C++ or Java or VB, then this is the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing with excellent coverage
Review: This book is what a technical book should be: clear, well written, well organized, with useful simple examples that clearly illustrate the ideas being discussed. The author writes well, and the material is very well organized. The first part of the book explains the language in clear, concise terms. There is good coverage of advanced material, and excellent examples to illustrate the ideas. The second part of the book teaches you how to apply the language to developing applications: windows, web and web services. The examples here are more complex, but they nicely illustrate how programs are built. The third part is more advanced, explaining the .net frameworks in some detail. I found this part of the book particularly useful. The author also provides the source code on his web site. He also offers an errata and a news group of his own for discussing his books. I was very impressed with this book. O'Reilly has done it again.
Rating:
Summary: Very good. Slacks off a little at the end.
Review: I really liked this book. The Author does a great job of explain all the topics. He does not go into any of the topics in great depth but to get started with it is great. I have been programming in ASP and JAVA for about 3 years so I was already fairmilar with some of the ideas. The only complaint I have is that the end of the book (last couple chapters) are not that great. Examples get a little weaker along with the explanation. But to give him the benefit of the doubt the last few chapters cover some more advanced topics that this book was not really meant to address. Liked it enough though to buy his ASP.net book.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly uneven writing clarity.
Review: This book (I have the first edition) goes from absolutely clear explanations and code examples to the worst technical writing I have ever seen. It looks like Jesse's still confused on some of the newer programming concepts that C# offers. His chapter on Delegates, as an example, is just terrible. Very confusing and the examples are even worse. I've noticed that Jesse's writing in general, I have also read (should say, tried to read) two of his books on C++, gets worse as the difficulty level of the concepts go up. This is why we buy these books in the first place, to help us understand dificult subjects. "If you can't explain it in terms that an eighth grader can understand, you don't know enough about the subject" is a famous quote that comes to mind. Sometimes I get the feeling Jesse (and many other "technical writers") are just faking it with technobabble to sell books. All you tech writers out there should check out how Mark Minasi can "turn" a technical phrase that can actually be understood.
Rating:
Summary: The best C# book around at the moment...
Review: I've read most of the C# books that are currently on the market, and this is definitely my favourite. It has a nice balance between the language and its practical application using the .NET Framework, and is well explained in elegant and concise language. Unlike certain books I could mention that are 1500+ pages of rehashed reference material, Jesse takes the "less is more" approach, with about 300 pages on the language followed by about the same number on the major class libraries needed to apply the language to real-world problems. If you're familiar with the Core Java books by Prentice-Hall, you'll notice a similar style here - brief coverage of topics that should be familiar to any experienced programmer (classes, objects, interfaces etc.) with more than enough depth where necessary. If you're already proficient with a language such as C++, Java or Visual Basic and want to convert your knowledge across to C# quickly, this book will provide everything you need in a digestible form. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: It's an O'Reilly Trifecta.
Review: After putting it off far too long, I finally decided to evaluate .Net. But only after I spent several nights researching books. I started with Sharp & Jagger's MS Visual C# .Net from MS Press, but was quickly bored. Too simple. Flaccid writing. No depth. Then I picked up Liberty's Programming C# and Programming in ASP.NET, along with Thai & Lam's .Net Framework Essentials. I have a new entry to the Tech Book Pantheon (Fowler, Eckel, Flanagan, et. al.): Jesse Liberty. While I'm not yet convinced that C# and .Net are going to replace Java and J2EE (or even compete strongly), I was more enchanted by the lucidity of Liberty's examples and the seamless flow of exercise to exercise, building up understanding in layers, than I was by Microsoft's technology. Bravo. Programming in C# and Programming in ASP.NET have set a standard for new technology exposition. [One caveat: these may not be beginner's books, as you will defnitely need to be comfortable with OO concepts/syntax, SQL/SQL Server, HTML/XML, and general Windows de-spaghettifying issues. FYI - Jesse Liberty did do a tremendous service for developers by including all examples in C# AND VB.]
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Examples are First Rate
Review: This book is not only thorough and well written, it includes example programs that illustrate the points discussed and that provide a basis for working with the language. Liberty starts off with a complete coverage of the language, teaching you all you need to know to program well in C#. If you have any programming experience at all, this book is a fantastic primer. The second section of the book explains how to write Windows and web applications and how to work with ADO and how to write web services. This is an amazing tutorial on the fundamentals of .NET The third section is the gold standard on advanced .NET topics. Jesse teaches you how to work with threading, how to use attributes, how to accomplish remoting and much more. The book is well written, very well put together and he supports the book on his web site where you can download all of the source code. Most impressive of all, he also has a support discussion center, where you can get your questions answered. I recommend this book without reservation.
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