Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended for experienced programmer
Review: I am an experienced C++ programmer. As a first-time user of Visual Basic, I was tasked to write a program that interacts with a SQL-Server database, the Windows registry, and external files (I hit a lot of topics). I used a variety of Windows Common controls, including ListView and TreeView controls.Between this book and Visual Basic on-line documentation, I could do everything I wanted. This book has excellent examples - just what you need to do the obvious and basic tasks. I also bought a "Using Visual Basic" by Eidahl, which was a waste.
Rating:
Summary: Really as good as they're all saying
Review: Yes, it's true. This really is, quite simply, the best VB book ever written. I've been teaching VB since 1995 and yet I've learned VB all over again through this book, even on some of the most fundamental levels. It even comes with a CD version of itself that I use at work when I want to look something up. Somebody ought to lock this guy up and force him to write a book on every subject in the industry, so that I could read them all and become an expert at everything!
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Summary: One of the best technical books I've read recently
Review: I'm an experienced C++ programmer and I needed to learn VB. This book is superb for me. It is extremely clearly written, and manages to not be boring at all. I especially like the example code, which is clear and to the point and written in a very good solid style. It's all here but it doesn't put you to sleep. The author has judged very well what people need to be told and what he can assume they already know. There are a lot of tips and tricks scattered around, which appear to be real tips gained from the author's experience, not just cleverness - it's obvious that the author really knows the subject, and hasn't just regurgitated the manual. I see he has a VB.NET book coming out, that's the one I'll go for.
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Summary: A book every VB programer should have!
Review: This book is the best book i have read about Visual Basic. I have read 4 other books on the topic and no other book goes into so much depth. The author has a great way of conveying the information to his readers so that you clearly understand what he is saying. I learned so many usefull tips that i never new before. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a little bit of basic Visual Basic knowledege. This is an Excellent book for Intermediats and Advance programmers. It is also an excellent "VB Dictonary". Bottom Line: Excellent book, a must have. By the way be carfull with the book the binding is fragile!!!
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Summary: A must have for serious VB students
Review: I jumped into an intermediat/advanced VB course (ADO) without ever having programmed in VB. This book by Mr. Balena is a treasure. It is well-written, thorough, and comes with a CD-ROM that contains the book, which makes it easily searchable. I run three monitors. While programming in VB, I keep the e-book open on one monitor at all times, for reference. Mr. Balena provides wonderful tips on documented and undocumented "tricks" in VB. There are some real gems throughout the book. I love this book! I am sure it will serve me well for many many upcoming programs.
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Summary: Def worth buying!!
Review: Great book! Starts from zero and goes to advanced before I knew it. I def recommend you buy this book it helped me alot, that's for sure.
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Summary: Great for learning efficient, maintenable VB
Review: My opinion for this book is not based on comparing this book with others, just on my experience with it.
I am learning VB by this book. I think it is great. There is a lot in it so each chapter is rich. One of the things I appreciate is that it teaches the use of the code and leads to using it efficiently and making the code maintainable. It also comes with a CD with the electronic version of the book in it, so you can read it in your PC at work without having to carry the "brick".
As for exercises, you can practice the code on the book and play your own variations. I don't think this is a book "for dummies", but you can set your own pace by experimenting the use of the code. On the other side, a "for dummies" may bore you before you learn.
This book puts a constant emphasis on making the code fast, reusable, maintainable and debugable, which besides the concepts of the language, it teaches what an experienced programmer can offer.
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Summary: My bindings came off!
Review: I only have 3 complaints about this book. 1) 6 days after purchasing this book, the bindings came off. 2) As a previous reviewer mentioned, the author uses functions and subroutines in his code snippets that he expects you to know already. I had to use the MSDN Online Help to get explanations on them. 3) Even though the author has TONS of USEFUL code snippets, it would've been better to put all of them into exercises. Because I come from a C++ and Java background, I was able to understand most of what I've read so far (250 pages). This book is definitely NOT for beginners. You must at least know some programming in order to read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book, horrible binding
Review: The book itself is excellent, though definitely not for beginners. Comprehensive, well researched, and fairly well written. The code samples that are included on the CD-ROM are also excellent and extensive; you can use these in your own programs. I gave the book 1 star because of the horrible binding. The book began to fall apart after a few months. Eventually, the entire spine separated from the pages. I have had to resort to using glue to get them back in, a very messy process. The book looks physically horrible now. This is disgraceful in a book of this cost.
Rating:
Summary: Best VB Book I've Read
Review: I don't think I've read a book that covers VB in such an intense and complete way. Just about everything is covered and with a depth that never left me needing more. The examples are good and the writing is clear. It even works as a good reference book (unlike many other computer books). I keep it at my desk at all times.
I recommend this book to people who have a little bit of VB experience (or just general programming experience), but not to the complete novice. It moves quickly so the novice programmer may not be able to keep up without more indepth explanations. Overall, I've found this to be the best book on general VB programming on the market.
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