Professional C# (Beta 2 Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Good coverage marred by bad writing and editing...
Review: I bought this book based upon reading the first two chapters in a bookstore. The coverage of .NET found there is very good and well-written. Sadly, the following chapters show some uneven writing (often to the point of annoyance), little in the way of editing, and apparently no proofreading.

That said, the breadth of coverage in terms of C# fundamentals and its use within the .NET framework is good and useful--certainly the best currently out there. If you need to learn C# now there is really no alternative. Perhaps at a later date we'll see a better all around book on C# and .NET.

Rating:
Summary: They titled it PROFESSIONAL C# for a reason!!
Review: I found this book very helpful and it continued where Inside C#, a beginner's book, left off. It is very in depth and very easy to reference, the sections are nicely encapsulated. I haven't read Petzol's book on C# yet so I don't know how it compares. Experience is required to catch the errors, but the extensive content is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Certainly a good book with much useful information
Review: It's one of the best C# and .NET Framework introductions, but the problem is that, due to the extent of the subject, all the books that try to cover the whole .NET Framework in a single (even if big) volume are missing the point from a professional programmer point of view.
To have all you need to fully understand the .NET Framework it's absolutely essential to have a collection of books that cover every single topic in detail and they are appearing now.
If you want to save money and buy a good introduction especially about C# or you are an experienced programmer that ventures out to .NET and C# for the first time then it could be a good purchase, otherwise it's better to focus on the topics you are looking for and buy more specialized publications. A professional programmer could find it a little superficial in some parts and due to the usual hurry of Wrox Press to be first on target a little disjointed in others.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid this book with all cost
Review: The writing of this book is too verbose. Some sentences contain more than 5 commas and I thought I was getting lost. It's very difficult to know what the author is trying to explain with those extremly long sentences.
Many examples are not adequate at all. Some of the logics in the examples are so bad, I couldn't see why the author added these to the book. They rather confuse you than helps you understanding the concepts behind C#.

I am sorry but it does look like a rough draft rather than a finished book.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid this book with all cost
Review: The writing of this book is too verbose. Some sentences contain more than 5 commas and I thought I was getting lost. It's very difficult to know what the author is trying to explain with those extremly long sentences.
Many examples are not adequate at all. Some of the logics in the examples are so bad, I couldn't see why the author added these to the book. They rather confuse you than helps you understanding the concepts behind C#.

I am sorry but it does look like a rough draft rather than a finished book.

Rating:
Summary: Did any one grammer check this book?
Review: This book is based on the beta 1 version of .Net

If you are using beta 2 (and who isn't) this book is worthless to you.

Rating:
Summary: C-Dull Book
Review: This book is poor. Using incorrect and inconsistent grammer, this book attempts to explain C#. It fails...

Rating:
Summary: A whale of a book.
Review: While the book contains a wealth of information about the .NET framework in general and C#'s role in particular, the tone is annoying to anyone who has programmed more than a year. The condescending attitude toward C and C++ programmers is sure to turn off anyone who has actually made a living writing in C or C++ as opposed to the people who picked up one of the "C in 24 hours" books and fitfully dabbled in it over a period of a few weeks. As well as the plethora of Microsoft editorializing (this book couldn't be more gushing if it was published by Microsoft Press) is the astonishing number of grammatical errors. With 1200+ pages and a deadline to be the first comprehensive C# book on the market, the editing leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously someone ran a spell checker past it, but I wonder if anyone actually READ it before sending it to the publisher. I note there are 4 technical editors, 34 technical reviewers and 3 proof readers listed for this opus. The proof readers were sorely outnumbered.

All the short comings noted, this book still makes a good reference for anyone new to the .NET framework, which is all of us at this point. I think the scope and organization are well thought out and the goal to make this an all-encompassing reference for .NET is admirable. While I don't believe this will become the Kernighan & Ritchie for C# and .NET (at 5 times the size of that classic), I do believe there should be room on the developer's shelf for anyone interested in taking the plunge into .NET.