C# 5.0 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference 5th Edition

From the very start the book presents useful knowledge in an orderly fashion. It starts with a brief but useful background of the development path of the language and then jumps straight into the groundwork of datatypes. Then it builds up, methodically and expressively from there.You can follow along by executing all the code samples in LINQPad, which you can download for free. You can download all the examples in the book from the "Samples" tab in LINQPad. A folder tree presents each of the chapters and topics in the book and within each of these is the code which you can run by clicking the play button. This is how all programming should be taught. Then you can continue to use LINQPad as an invaluable tool for querying databases and web data in your work life.There is a downside to getting the Kindle edition. The code font is strangely small. All through the book the very text which is the subject of the book is written in a minute font size that is less than half the size of the normal text. Until this is fixed in the Kindle edition it will be a constant annoyance. You either have to make your normal text absurdly large, which will affect all the formatting of every page, or you will find yourself squinting and leaning forward every time the book gets to the interesting part.UPDATE: The Kindle problem is only in the CLOUD READER. The installed PC reader is probably better anyway and does not suffer at all from this problem. I use the installed Kindle for PC and the Kindle for Android on my Galaxy S3 with no problems at all.

I've been writing C# based apps for around five years, so I had no problem picking up this book and using it to get up to speed with the latest and greatest C# 5.0 has to offer. I would not recommend this book to beginner developers, but certainly anyone w/ even a modest amount of C# experience under their belt, or a seasoned Java, C++, etc. developer could pick up this book and run with it.The book starts with a run down of the capabilities introduced with each past release of C#, building up to C# 5.0. It then provides a solid overview of C# for "beginners" (again, I'd recommend you have some reasonable exposure to C# or other OO programming language before buying this book), and then it dives into clear and concise, albeit advanced topics covering the both common and latest/greatest areas of C# functionality.The book is large, so it's not exactly C# 'in a nutshell', but it is comprehensive, where this one book would get the right candidate rolling w/ C#.

I bought this book to help me learn C# and this book is a treasure trove of helpful information. It could easily be used to teach a year long college programming course. The material is easy to follow and understand and there is plenty of examples to help you understand the content. With only casual reading, I was able to start programming very quickly and within a few days of occasionally trying, I had my first working program. I highly recommend this book as it can help you first learn C# and if you are already familiar with programming (I'm very familiar with C, C++ and Matlab), it still holds a lot of helpful information.

This is a great book I am giving it five stars because I'm rounding up. I would really like to give it 4.5 stars as described here:5 stars for being an outstanding reference. Joseph's style is easy and informative. You wont find his level of C# expertise plus his outstanding authorship on some post on StackOverflow. So if you are debating buying the book because you think you will find the same info on a post somewhere on the web you are most likely wrong.Minus 1/2 star for the horrible book format. The book is TOO SMALL in terms of height and width and TOO THICK! It is like reading a C# manual on index cards. Doh it IS reading a C# manual on index cards! Joseph your work stands on its own merit you don't need to make the book look thick so it will sell. Please consider making the next version of the book taller and wider with print that extends to the margins. Thanks!

In my opinion, this is the best C# reference in print.In the rush to meet publishing and production deadlines, many authors hastily throw together their subject matter in a best-efforts basis and, often, barely finish pressing the 'Enter' key before the presses start rolling. No so with C# 5.0 in a Nutshell. This book is brilliantly organized, exceptionally well-written, and provides truly useful examples for day-to-day c# coding. Broad subject matter coverage with just the right depth and numerous examples make owning and using this book a pleasure.If you're a C# developer, or aspire to become one, you'll find this book to be one of the few gems on your shelf. I would opt for the print rather than the Kindle version -- simply because good reference books are destined to be dog-eared, stickynote-tagged and thrown in a backpack: in that light, when you buy this book, you'll find that the corners of your book will quickly be curled and worn with the spine creased and pages dogtagged.