Applied Microsoft® .NET Framework Programming ... (ISBN 0735614229)

Amazon.com Review:
Applied Microsoft .NET Framework Programming is a tutorial. It's meant for programmers who already know an object-oriented language and want to apply their knowledge in the standardized environment provided by the Microsoft .NET Framework. The book, written by Jeffrey Richter, a programmer and the .NET columnist at Microsoft's magazine for its developer community, takes a more or less language-agnostic approach to the run-time environment (though many illustrative examples are in C#). It aims to untangle the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and some of the Framework Class Library (FCL), and generally succeeds, particularly at the former. Richter shares his knowledge of the key classes you can instantiate in the CLR, and the kinds of operations you can perform on and with them. You can read this book, or individual chapters, from beginning to end. You'll probably find it more helpful, though, if you read individual sections as you encounter problems or develop an interest in specific aspects of the CLR (ideal for those middle-of-the-night "I wonder how it does..." questions). Richter typically lets his code do most of the talking, and he'll often introduce a section with a prose summary of the CLR way of doing something (sometimes with a supplementary diagram) before unleashing a string of quick examples that illustrate variations on the theme. In an unusual and helpful tutorial move, he makes heavy use of the ILDASM utility to show what goes on at compile time. --David Wall Topics covered: How the Microsoft .NET Framework--in other words, the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and parts of the Framework Class Library (FCL)--runs Microsoft .NET applications, and how to write software for the framework. Shared assemblies, characteristics of CLR types (including their properties, methods, fields, and events), and object orientation all get ample coverage. There's particularly detailed information on text manipulation (including internationalization and localization), arrays, custom interfaces, and the managed environment (garbage collection) in the CLR environment.

The Definitive Book for Deep .NET Knowledge:
This is not the kind of book where you will immediately be copying code and being instructed to follow basic instructions to achieve a task. Rather this is a deeply rich book on the internals of the .NET architecture. I consider it required reading for anyone serious about moving towards .NET Mastery. Is it completely comprehensive? No. There are areas missing. Are these areas covered extensively in books that are more 'follow the instructions' type, absolutely. I would add Juval Lowy's new book (2nd edition) to this, and you will know more then most in my experience. For more book recommendations see my 'so you want to' list under 'Damon Carr'.

Must read for .Net developer:
Excellent book.Anybody who wants to understand the underlying concepts of .Net must read this book.

Best general CLR book out there:
This is the best book I could find on Common Language Runtime (CLR) programming concepts. Richter really goes into detail on garbage collection, boxing model, and other important "under the covers" topics/gotchas. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the CLR.

Best CLR/FCL Internals Coverage:
If you want to understand fundamental topics like boxing, unboxing, or disposing better or understand what is really happening when an event gets raised, this is the best book you will find. Richter's knowledge is impeccable, and his writing style is clear. If an experienced developer wants to understand the inner-workings of the .NET framework, this is the first book he/she should read.

What more could you want:
If you are a beginner in .NET ( not to be confused with a beginner programmer ) this book is excellent. Unfortunately for me, I have been using .NET for several years. SO there we're only pieces here and there that I could use. But, he goes into extreme detail on every aspect for .NET. I love the book. Its a must for at least a reference book. At the very least. And by the way I dont do practice examples, I make my own. So if there are examples I have no idea if they work or not. And a books weight has nothing to do with some examples that the author thought up, while cashing his check! Nick