C# in Depth
by Jon Skeet · first published 2008
73% recommend25% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Version-by-version tour of how C# evolved, explaining the reasoning behind each feature and the guts of the language. Suits developers with some .NET experience who want to catch up or deepen their C#.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
This is a book about C# from version 2 onwards -- it's as simple as that. I barely cover C# 1, and only cover the .NET Framework libraries and Common Language Runtime (CLR) when they're related to the language. This is a deliberate decision, and the result is quite a different book from most of the C# and .NET books I've seen. By assuming a reasonable amount of knowledge of C# 1, I avoid spending hundreds of pages covering material that I think most people already understand. This gives me much more room to expand on the details of C# 2, 3, and 4, which is what I hope you're reading the book f
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For C#, the book I always find myself going back to is C# In Depth by Jon Skeet. It's one of the most accessible books I've read, and it's one I always recommend to other devs that are interested in the language. http://csharpindepth.com/
on “Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?” ↗C# in Depth: What you need to master C# 2 and 3 by Jon Skeet http://www.amazon.com/Depth-What-you-need-master/dp/19339883...
on “Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?” ↗I would check out these books: C# in a Nutshell (http://www.amazon.com/C-4-0-Nutshell-Definitive-Reference/dp...) CLR via C# (http://www.amazon.com/CLR-via-Dev-Pro-Jeffrey-Richter/dp/073...) C# in Depth (http://www.amazon.com/Depth-What-you-need-master/dp/19339883...)
on “Ask HN: Any good .NET books?” ↗C# in Depth by Jon Skeet. Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform by Andrew Troelsen (there's a newer edition about .NET 4 which I haven't managed to read yet)
on “Which programming book you just couldn’t stop reading from start to end?” ↗…I read the title and noticed it was a Stack Overflow question, I knew that there would be an answer from Jon Skeet. I'm not usually prone to hero worship, but I've got a lot of time for him. His book C# in Depth is absolutely fantastic, he's helped me (and probably many others on here) with questions on SO, and he comes across as such a nice guy.
on “How 1927-12-31 23:54:08 happened twice” ↗"C# In Depth, 3rd edition" by Jon Skeet. I had been falling behind on the new stuff added to .NET and C# and this is a good way to get back on the curve.
on “Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?” ↗…the world of software, to how The Beatles became one of the best bands in the world. It's a great reminder that a mixture of hard work, the right environment, and dumb luck will help you do well. 2) C# in Depth by Jon Skeet: Buying and reading this book is what led me to continue down the deep rabbit hole of .NET development, and following the C# language from version 1 onwards via the book is a great way to…
on “Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?” ↗I guess C# in depth by Jon Skeet would be the obvious answer. Any language would be happy to have such a useful historical guide to best practice. I'm not really a c# dev although I do use it a fair bit and I thought it…
on “Ask HN: What C# books are highly recommended for professional .NET developers?” ↗Jon Skeet's C# in Depth is pretty solid. The fourth edition isn't done yet - and at the rate of change lately may be out of date by the time it is released, but it goes into some great detail on the guts of the language, and…
on “Span<T> in C#” ↗I would love a book similar to C# In Depth but for C++. The book takes you on an evolutionary tour of C#s features, version-by-version. One of my favorite programming books of all time and a good read even for someone who doesn't program in C#.
on “Ask HN: Best way to learn modern C++?” ↗Thanks for mentioning Manning; they are great, love buying from them - including their Early Access versions such as Jon Skeet's C# in Depth.
on “When Microsoft's eBook store closes, your books disappear too” ↗…nuget. That's quite a significant contribution to the .NET open source ecosystem - especially for someone whose day job is programming Java at Google, so these are pure side projects (. He also wrote C# In Depth which is one of the standards by which programming language books should be judged (up with books like K&R, JavaScript: The Good Parts, and Essential Java).
on “Jon Skeet: The 'Chuck Norris' of Programming (2016)” ↗Instead of a blog I'd recommend Jon Skeet's C# in Depth book. Unfortunately it has fallen behind on the newer language features, but for folks new to the language, it's great.
on “Ask HN: What blog about C# do you recommend?” ↗…reader should be able to infer by doing exercises. I'm actually a big fan of that kind of writing, and I tend to write in that way myself, but it doesn't work for "intro" or "tutorial" books. Jon Skeet's "C# In Depth" is a good example of a book that spends time making sure you really understand a concept six ways from Sunday, but that's the advertised point of the book. When it comes to learning something like a…
on “Zed Shaw is Writing A Book Teaching Beginner Python” ↗I'll gladly second Jon Skeet's 'C# in Depth'. The second edition is currently available through MEAP @ http://www.manning.com/skeet2/, with the print edition coming in September.
on “Ask HN: Any good .NET books?” ↗