Any good reference books on C#?

[Theresonly1]

After deciding to learn a new programming language which is C#, i need to know any good C# reference books out there. At the moment i only have the Microsoft Visual C# step - by - step book which i think thats contain a lot of depth detail about visual studio environment and not alot on C# language.

 

So anyone has any idea of good C# reference books i can get?

[Pangloss]

Yeah the Microsoft Press books can be weak on advanced step-by-step methods (but make good references in general).

 

I'm a big fan of the Wrox books from Wiley (publishers). Those are the ones with the red covers with pics of the author(s) on the front. Specifically, their C# books have been excellent. They generally split their books into two editions -- "Beginning" and "Professional". In some cases both are worth having, but if you're already familiar with the basics you can probably just get the Professional one. They're good references and semi-decent for step-by-step learning as well (good examples).

 

I've not yet read the ones on 3.5, but they were great at the 2.0 level and I assume the new ones will be up to par.

 

http://www.wrox.com

 

I'm somewhat familiar with various Microsoft-related programming books because I teach the subject at a university (mostly focused on ASP), so I run through titles from several different publishers on a fairly regular basis. In my experience the Thomson and Course Technologies offerings are weak (but sometimes useful). The Murach books have good examples but are also kinda weak overall.

 

But of course it's a huge field with many publishers. I was a big fan of the O'Reilly books (the white ones with the wood-cut animal carvings on the covers) for a long time, but haven't used them of late. I do know that Jesse Liberty's introductory book on C# is very highly thought-of in the field.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Programming-C-Building-NET-Applications/dp/0596006993/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3_rdsssl0

[Adrian]

Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform, Fourth Edition (Windows.Net) (Hardcover)

http://www.amazon.com/2008-NET-Platform-Fourth-Windows-Net/dp/1590598849/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217449491&sr=1-2

 

I have read the 1.1/2.0/and now 3.5. VERY good book.

[khelben1979]

Books can be nice, but..

 

Why not take a look at some clips from YouTube? You'll find C# examples here. Interesting?

[Pangloss]

Screen-cap video tutorials are all the rage in the .NET world these days. I've made dozens of them for my ASP students, to reinforce their classroom learning. Microsoft's ASP site is smothered in them, and there are tons of third-party sites going crazy with the concept as well. They're amazingly useful, though they do have their down sides. They don't replace books, IMO, though it's a great suggestion.

[TrickyPeach]

I can't really be trusted on this, because these are the only two I have read, but I have read "C# in a Nutshell" and "C# Essentials", which are both the in the same series and they are pretty decent. The first is like a "full" reference book and the second a quick version and much much smaller.

 

What I can be trusted on is to know, as my course demands quite a few programming languages to be learned, that the best way to learn is not only the reference book. It's a good starter. I think the best way is to start off is reading the book only to gain some confidence and then start coding, doing exercises and experimenting on your own, like setting yourself little tasks. Using on-line tutorials and resources is another good way to learn if you get bored of the books, which can be quite boring occasionally. Of course: Wikipedia on C# is another good place to go to.

 

Reading the language specification is also a key to grasping some more complicated concepts as well.

 

YouTube videos that are also a clever way to get insight into how other people work and think as well as actually teaching you the language, which is useful if you are a beginner.

 

Good luck and I hope you have fun coding!