Beginning C# Books:
- Teach Yourself Visual C# 2008 in 24 Hours: Complete Starter Kit (J. Foxall), SAMS, 2008 [Paperback]
I normally don't get on with these types of book. I think that they have a certain niche market and I am not it. I would rather understand the mechanics of a language thoroughly before claiming that I know how to drive it. But this book does an excellent job of getting you started in Visual C#. It comes with a DVD that contains the lightweight version of Microsoft's development environment and a bunch of code examples. The book itself starts with the mechanics of UI design and then moves through the elements of the language. It is definitely worth a read. Contains some good information for the novice.
- Beginning C# 2008: From Novice to Professional (C. Gross), Apress, 2008 [Paperback] or [Kindle]
This is a thorough book that I keep coming back to time and again. I like the style and it suits the ordering in which I expect to see the information. The author starts with a description of the mechanics and syntax of the language and then moves through exceptions, objects, .NET generics, multi-threading and LINQ. Some intermediate topics are here, but they are only briefly touched upon. Highly recommended for a beginner to have something useful to refer to and something more complicated to look up and take further.
Intermediate C# Books:
- Data Structures and Algorithms using C# (M. McMillan), Cambridge, 2008 [Paperback] or [Kindle]
I really like this book. It is totally up my street -- the information is presented very logically and the syntax of the language is ignored. It is assumed that you have the basic mechanics of C# already from a different source. This book is about getting things done using data structures and algorithms. People with an undergraduate degree that has involved computing will find a familiar set of topics. Data structures: array, stack, queue, linked-list, binary trees, hash, graph. Algorithms: searching, sorting, pattern matching, text processing. I would just like to say again that I really like this book. Highly recommended for everyone.
