Learning C#, .NET, and ASP.NET – A More Curated History

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Introduction

In my previous post I created a massive list of the hundreds of books written about .NET over the past eighteen years. In this post my goal is two-fold:

  1. To highlight the authors who have written consistently over a number of years.
  2. To highlight authors or books I am particularly interested in.
  3. To note various patterns within the patterns of the books listed here or in the original post.

The Albaharis

The Albahari family have consistently authored well-respected books on C# throughout the lifetime of .NET.

  1. C# 7.0 in a Nutshell by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 10/2017.
    1. Safari: 5 (8).
  2. C# 7.0 Pocket Reference by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 7/2017.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  3. C# 6.0 in a Nutshell 6th Edition by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 11/2015.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  4. C# 6.0 Pocket Reference by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 10/2015.
  5. C# 5.0 in a Nutshell 5th Edition by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 6/2012.
    1. Safari: 5 (19).
  6. C# 5.0 Pocket Reference by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 6/2012.
    1. Safari: 5 (5).
  7. C# 4.0 Pocket Reference 3rd Edition by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 8/2010.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (2).
  8. C# 4.0 in a Nutshell 4th Edition by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 2/2010.*
    1. Safari: 5 (27).
  9. LINQ Pocket Reference by Joseph Albahari and Ben Albahari. 2/2008.
    1. Safari: 3 (3).
  10. C# 3.0 Pocket Reference 2nd Edition by Joseph Albahari and Ben Albahari. 2/2008.
    1. Safari: 4 (1).
  11. C# 3.0 in a Nutshell 3rd Edition by Ben Albahari and Joseph Albahari. 9/2007.
    1. Safari: 5 (6).
  12. C# in a Nutshell 2nd Edition by Ted Neward, Ben Albahari, and Peter Drayton. 8/2003.
  13. C# Language Pocket Reference by Ted Neward, Ben Albahari, and Peter Drayton. 10/2002.*
  14. C# in a Nutshell by Peter Drayton, Ted Neward, and Ben Albahari. 2/2002.*
  15. C# Essentials 2nd Edition by Peter Drayton, Ben Albahari, and Brad Merrill. 1/2002.
  16. C# Essentials by Peter Drayton, Ben Albahari, and Brad Merrill. 1/2001.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).

The Deitels

  1. Visual C# How to Program by Harvey Deitel and Paul Deitel. 8/2016.
    1. Safari: 4 (1).
  2. C# 6 for Programmers 6th Edition by Harvey Deitel and Paul Deitel. 8/2016.
  3. C# 2012 for Programmers 5th Edition by Paul Deitel, Harvey M. Deitel, and Abbey Deitel. 9/2013.
    1. Safari: 5 (2).
  4. Visual C# 2012: How to Program 5th Edition by Harvey Deitel and Paul Deitel. 3/2013.
    1. Safari: 5 (3).
  5. Visual C# 2010: How to Program 4th Edition by Harvey Deitel and Paul Deitel. 10/2010.
    1. Safari: 4.25 (3).
  6. C# 2010 for Programmers 4th Edition by Harvey M. Deitel and Paul J. Deitel. 10/2010.
  7. C# 2008 for Programmers 3rd Edition by Harvey M. Deitel and Paul J. Deitel. 9/2008.
    1. Safari: 3.25 (3).
  8. C# for Programmers 2nd Edition by Paul J. Deitel and Harvey M. Deitel. 11/2005.
    1. Safari: 3.75 (1).
  9. Also wrote Java 9 for Programmers 4th Edition (5/2017, 3rd Edition: 3/2014), C++ How to Program 10th Edition (2/2016), Java How To Program (Early Objects) 11th Edition (6/2017, 10th: 2/2014), C for Programmers with an Introduction to C11 (4/2013) and so on.

Dino Esposito

Is an author I’ve personally been reading for years and whose work I appreciate not only for its take on specific technologies but also on concepts and patterns.

  1. Modern Web Development: Understanding Domains, Technologies, and User Experience by Dino Esposito. 3/2016.
    1. Safari: 4 (2)
  2. Microsoft .NET: Architecting Applications for the Enterprise 2nd Edition by Andrea Saltarello and Dino Esposito. 9/2014.
    1. Safari: 5 (5).
  3. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET MVC by Dino Esposito. 2/2014.
    1. Safari: 3.25 (6).
  4. Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise by Dino Esposito. 5/2012.
    1. Safari: 3 (2).
  5. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET MVC by Dino Esposito. 10/2011.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (2).
  6. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 4 by Dino Esposito. 2/2011.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  7. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET MVC by Dino Esposito. 5/2010.
  8. Microsoft ASP.NET and AJAX: Architecting Web Applications by Dino Esposito. 4/2009.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  9. Microsoft .NET: Architecting Applications for the Enterprise by Dino Esposito and Andrea Saltarello. 10/2008.
    1. Safari: 5 (7).
  10. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 by Dino Esposito. 2/2008.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (4).
  11. Introduction Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX by Dino Esposito. 5/2007.
    1. Safari: 5 (2).
  12. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference 2nd Edition by Dino Esposito. 11/2005.
  13. Introducing Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 by Dino Esposito. 7/2004.
  14. Programming Microsoft ASP.NET by Dino Esposito. 6/2003.
  15. Applied XML Programming for Microsoft .NET by Dino Esposito. 10/2002.
  16. Building Web Solutions with ASP.NET and ADO.NET by Dino Esposito. 2/2002.
  17. Also wrote Start Here!: Build Windows 8 Apps with HTML5 and JavaScript (5/2013).

Adam Freeman

Another prolific author is Adam Freeman who has written extensively throughout the .NET lifespan on mainly web-based .NET topics. I’ve even included some of his not-strictly .NET books in this list.

  1. Essential Docker for ASP.NET Core MVC by Adam Freeman. 4/2017.*
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  2. Pro Angular 2nd Edition by Adam Freeman. 1/2017.
    1. Safari: 5 (3).
  3. Pro ASP.NET Core MVC 6th Edition by Adam Freeman. 9/2016.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  4. Expert ASP.NET Web API 2 for MVC Developers by Adam Freeman. 8/2014.
    1. Safari: 3 (1).
  5. Pro ASP.NET MVC 5 Platform by Adam Freeman. 4/2014.
    1. Safari: 3.9 (9).
  6. Pro ASP.NET MVC 5 5th Edition by Adam Freeman. 12/2013.
    1. Safari: 5 (19).
  7. Pro jQuery 2.0 2nd Edition by Adam Freeman. 10/2013.
  8. Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in C# 5th Edition by Mario Szpuszta, Matthew MacDonald, and Adam Freeman. 7/2013.
    1. Safari: 4.25 (4).
  9. Pro ASP.NET MVC 4 4th Edition by Adam Freeman. 1/2013.
    1. Safari: 4.5 (22).
  10. Windows 8 Apps Revealed: Using XAML and C# by Adam Freeman. 12/2012.*
  11. Pro jQuery by Adam Freeman. 2/2012.
    1. Safari: 4 (16).
  12. Applied ASP.NET 4 in Context by Adam Freeman. 9/2011.
    1. Safari: 5 (1).
  13. Pro ASP.NET MVC 3 Framework 3rd Edition by Steven Sanderson and Adam Freeman. 7/2011.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (20).
  14. Introducing Visual C# 2010 by Adam Freeman. 11/2010.
    1. Safari: 3 (4).
  15. Visual C# 2010 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach by Adam Freeman and Allen Jones. 3/2010.
    1. Safari: 5 (2).
  16. Programming .NET Security by Allen Jones and Adam Freeman. 6/2003.*
  17. Microsoft .NET XML Web Services Step by Step by Allen Jones and Adam Freeman. 11/2002.
  18. C# for Java Developers by Adam Freeman and Allen Jones. 8/2002.
  19. Also wrote Pro Design Patterns in Swift (1/2015), Pro AngularJS (3/2014), Pro Windows 8 Development with HTML5 and JavaScript (11/2012), Pro JavaScript for Web Apps (6/2012), The Definitive Guide to HTML5 (12/2011), Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in VB 5th Edition (9/2013, 3rd: 10/2010).

Julia Lerman

When it comes to the Entity Framework, Lerman is the definitive authority.

  • Programming Entity Framework: DbContext by Rowan Miller and Julia Lerman. 2/2012.
    • Safari: 4.9 (9).
  • Programming Entity Framework: Code First by Rowan Miller and Julia Lerman. 11/2011.
    • Safari: 4.9 (15).
  • Programming Entity Framework 2nd Edition by Julia Lerman. 8/2010.
    • Safari: 4.5 (29).
  • Programming Entity Framework by Julia Lerman. 2/2009.
    • Safari: 5 (7).

Mark Michaelis

  1. Essential C# 7.0 6th Edition by Mark Michaelis. 5/2018.
  2. Essential C# 6.0 by Eric Lippert and March Michaelis. 9/2015.
    1. Safari: 4 (1)
  3. Essential C# 5.0 by Eric Lippert and Mark Michael. 11/2012.
    1. Safari: 5 (3)
  4. Essential C# 4.0 by Mark Michaelis. 3/2010.
    1. Safari: 4.5 (9)
  5. Essential C# 3.0 by Mark Michaelis. 8/2008.
  6. Essential C# 2.0 by Mark Michaelis. 7/2006.
    1. Safari: 5 (2)

Matthew MacDonald

  1. Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in C# 5th Edition by Mario Szpuszta, Matthew MacDonald, and Adam Freeman. 7/2013.
    1. Safari: 4.25 (4)
  2. Pro WPF 4.5 in C# 4th Edition by Matthew MacDonald. 11/2012.
  3. Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 in C# by Matthew MacDonald. 8/2012.
  4. Pro WPF in C# 2010 3rd Edition by Matthew MacDonald. 3/2010.
  5. Beginning ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010 by Matthew MacDonald. 8/2010.
    1. Safari: 4.75 (4)
  6. Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 2nd Edition by Matthew MacDonald. 11/2007.
  7. Pro WPF in C# 2008 by Matthew MacDonald. 1/2007.
  8. ASP.NET in a Nutshell 2nd Edition by Matthew MacDonald and G. Andrew Duthie.
  9. ADO.NET in a Nutshell by Bill Hamilton and Matthew MacDonald. 4/2003.
  10. Microsoft .NET Distributed Applications by Matthew MacDonald. 2/2003.
  11. ASP.NET in a Nutshell by Matthew MacDonald and G. Andrew Duthie. 6/2002.
  12. Also wrote a number of books in The Missing Manual series: Creating a Website 4th Edition (6/2015, 3rd Edition: 5/2011, 2nd: 12/2008, 1st: 10/2005), WordPress 2nd Edition (7/2014, 1st Edition: 10/2012), HTML5 2nd Edition (12/2013, 1st Edition: 8/2011), Office 2013 (6/2013, 7/2010, 4/2007), Excel 2013 (4/2013, 6/2010, 12/2006, 12/2004), Access 2013 (4/2013, 6/2010, 12/2006), Your Body (7/2009), Your Brain (5/2008), and Google (3/2006) as well as books on Silverlight and VB.NET.

Scott Millett

  1. Patterns, Principles, and Practices of Domain-Driven Design by Nick Tune and Scott Millett. 5/2015.
    1. Safari: 5 (6)
  2. Real World .NET 4, C#, and Silverlight: Indispensible Experience from 15 MVPs by Scott Millett, et al. 11/2011.*
  3. Pro Agile .NET Development with Scrum by Scott Millett, Matthew Bussa, and Jerrel Blankenship. 10/2011.*
    1. Safari: 4.5 (3)
  4. Professional ASP.NET Design Patterns by Scott Millett. 6/2010.
    1. Safari: 5 (12)
  5. Professional Enterprise .NET by Scott Millett and John Arking. 10/2009.
    1. Safari: 3.9 (3)
  6. NHibernate with ASP.NET Problem-Design-Solution by Scott Millett. 2/2009.

John Sharp

  1. Microsoft Visual C# Step by Step 8th Edition by John Sharp. 11/2015.
    1. Safari: 4 (3)
  2. Microsoft Visual C# 2013 Step by Step by John Sharp. 11/2013.
    1. Safari: 4 (5)
  3. Microsoft Visual C# 2012 Step by Step by John Sharp. 12/2012.
    1. Safari: 4 (1)
  4. Windows Communication Foundation 4 Step by Step by John Sharp. 11/2010.
    1. Safari: 5 (1)
  5. Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Step by Step by John Sharp. 4/2010.
  6. Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Step by Step by John Sharp. 12/2007.
  7. Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation Step by Step by John Sharp. 1/2007.*
    1. Safari: 4 (4)
  8. Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Step by Step by John Sharp. 10/2005.
  9. Also wrote Games, Design and Play (6/2016) and a book on Visual J# (8/2002).

Andrew Troelsen

Are you starting to see a pattern? Yes, I like when authors write on the same topic over a long period of time. While not always indicative it can be an indicator of the depth of their knowledge on the subject.

  1. C# 6.0 and .NET 4.6 Framework 7th Edition by Philip Japikse and Andrew Troelsen. 12/2015.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (2).
  2. Pro C# 5.0 and the .NET Framework 4.5 6th Edition by Andrew Troelsen. 8/2012.
    1. Safari: 4.9 (10).
  3. Pro C# 2010 and the .NET Platform 5th Edition by Andrew Troelsen. 5/2010.
  4. Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform 4th Edition by Andrew Troelsen. 11/2007.
    1. Safari: 5 (11).
  5. Also wrote Pro Expression Blend 4 (2/2011) and Pro VB 2010 and the .NET 4 Platform.

Because Its New…

  • C# 7.1 and .NET Core 2.0 – Modern Cross-Platform Development 3rd Edition by Mark J. Price. 11/2017.
    • 2nd edition: 3/2017.
      • Safari: 5 (2).
    • 1st edition: 3/2016.
      • Safari: 4.9 (2).
  • Functional Programming in C#: How to Write Better C# Code by Enrico Buonanno. 8/2017.
  • C# 7 and .NET Core Cookbook by Dirk Strauss. 4/2017.
  • Beginning SOLID Principles and Design Patterns for ASP.NET Developers by Bipin Joshi. 3/2016.
    • Safari: 5 (2).
  • .NET Design Patterns by Shine Xavier and Praseed Pai. 1/2017
    • Safari: 2.5 (2).

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