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Rating: 
Summary: the best understaning of categories you can get
Review: This book is tiny in volume but large in contents. It does not only provide the definitions of the fundamental concepts but also clear explanations and motivations of why must everything be defined that way, which are not always found in other texts. Plenty of the right examples help you build the right intuitions. The case studies at the end put everything into context and prepare you for CS texts on semantics, type theory, etc.
If you want to UNDERSTAND this wonderful theory read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Too terse
Review: This is a very short book: 70 pages of text + a bibliography. The first 50 pages are about general category theory, and the last 20 pages are specifically for computer scientists. My interest is in general category theory, and I bought this because I have a BS in CS and thought I'd find plenty of familiar examples. Unfortunately this book doesn't have nearly enough examples. I found it easier to skim some undergrad abstract algebra books in the library (groups, rings, vector spaces) and then continuing with category theory intros written for math students.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise
Review: This is an excellent introduction to category theory, not just for computer scientists, but for mathematicians as well. The author has a very clear writing style--it's evident that he writes to help people to understand the subject, and not to show off his knowledge. The examples illustrating various principles are easy to understand, especially the ones used to illustrate adjoints, arguably one of the more difficult concepts in category theory. This book also comes with a very valuable annotated bibliography, enabling one to intelligently choose from the many books and articles in this burgeoning field.Read this book before you tackle Mac Lane.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise
Review: This is an excellent introduction to category theory, not just for computer scientists, but for mathematicians as well. The author has a very clear writing style--it's evident that he writes to help people to understand the subject, and not to show off his knowledge. The examples illustrating various principles are easy to understand, especially the ones used to illustrate adjoints, arguably one of the more difficult concepts in category theory. This book also comes with a very valuable annotated bibliography, enabling one to intelligently choose from the many books and articles in this burgeoning field. Read this book before you tackle Mac Lane.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a CCC.
Review: Which stands for "Compact, Complete, and Comprehensible".
It is fairly easy to read, has every basic aspects of Category Theory, and has a lot of good examples.
If you would like to know the first step of Category Theory and you are in CS realm, this book is the one you have to try.
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