If you’re on the hunt for the best C# books, then this article is for you. This is an ultimate guide to the best books to learn C# and get the hang of object oriented programming. There’s a huge collection of coding books for beginners. If you’re an experienced programmer, there are also books that cover advanced topics in C# programming and include practical examples.
A good programming book can give you a comprehensive foundation and introduce you to more advanced topics. A book can be an engaging guide to becoming a software engineer. C# is a modern and powerful language that many experts are using. In this article, you can find the best books for C# developers.
How Can I Choose the Best Books for C# Developers?
You can choose the best books for C# developers through online research and reviews. C# is a valuable programming language with many complex aspects, so you have to check to see if your skill level on the topic matches the content of the book. You’ll also have to determine your budget. Lastly, you should check online reviews to set your expectations for the book.
It can be difficult to choose among the wide range of popular C# books. Absolute beginners and novice programmers can get an introduction to object oriented programming languages. Advanced programmers can move beyond programming basics and try a more technical book, which they can use to gain hands-on experience and improve their understanding of complex concepts.
Tips for Choosing the Best C# Books
- Structure. A step-by-step guide makes it easier to follow new concepts. You want to know whether the book includes code samples, exercises, and real C# projects.
- Budget. A good book is an investment in your learning journey. Set a budget and try to determine how much you stand to gain from buying a particular book.
- Reading format. Some readers enjoy audiobooks and ebooks more than hard copies. Check to see if the books you want are available in these other mediums.
- New editions. Books that have been recently published are brought up to date with newer examples.
- Author. Some readers have a favorite author, someone whose way of explaining things and selection of real-world examples helps them learn more quickly.
The 10 Best C# Books: An Overview
| Name | Publisher | Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# | Pearson | Agile software development fundamentals and techniques |
| C# 8.0 in a Nutshell | O’Reilly Media | C# programming, .NET software development, use cases |
| C#: Learn C# in One Day and Learn It Well | LCF Publishing | Object oriented concepts, error handling, file handling |
| C#: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Learn C# | N.B.L Publishing | Object oriented fundamentals, C# terminology |
| Concurrency in C# Cookbook | O’Reilly Media | Multithreaded programming, parallel programming |
| Head First C# | O’Reilly Media | Applications, game development, user interfaces |
| Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 2021 | Packt | C# programming, Unity, 3D game design |
| Murach’s C# | Mike Murach & Associates | Visual Studio, C#, .NET, database programming |
| Pro C# 8 with .NET Core 3 | Apress | .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, C# for desktop applications |
| The C# Player’s Guide | Starbound Software | C# types, .NET framework, Visual Studio |
The 10 Best C# Books: A Closer Look
These are the ten best C# books for learning various basic and advance concepts. The books presented below have a practical approach to core concepts of the language. They also have realistic code examples, easy-to-follow steps, and complete coverage of the concepts of programming.
1. Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#
- Author: Robert Martin and Micah Martin
- Best for: Beginners looking for a definitive reference about Agile development
The book teaches the proper and practical application of Agile development in your workflows.
You’ll find case studies to help you learn the fundamentals of applying the Agile methodology to C# development. The book covers different types of testing, pair programming, UML diagramming, and Agile software development techniques.
2. C# 8.0 in a Nutshell
- Author: Joseph Albahari and Eric Johannsen
- Best for: Programmers of varying levels and experience
This is a comprehensive guide for C# and .NET Core programmers. You’ll learn various concepts like patterns, advanced threading, parallel programming, regular expressions, spans, cryptography, and modular C#. The book has been updated in 2020, making it a reliable source of information for modern programming.
3. C#: Learn C# in One Day and Learn It Well
- Author: Jamie Chan
- Best for: A complete beginner looking for a book with programming assignments
This is a guide for people starting out with C#. It simplifies complex programming by breaking it down into shorter steps. The book covers everything you need to know about object oriented programming without tackling overly complex topics and advanced techniques.
By the end of the book, you’ll have a clear understanding of classes, data types, conditional structures, error handling, user interfaces, and expressions. It ends with a hands-on project, which ensures that you can apply what you’ve learned.
4. C#: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Learn C#
- Author: Mark Reed
- Best for: Beginners in web and application development
You don’t need any background in programming to understand the concepts introduced in this book. The book teaches C# programming concepts, syntax, data types, and operators. This is an ideal book to learn how to create text files and write programs with C#.
5. Concurrency in C# Cookbook
- Author: Stephen Cleary
- Best for: Readers who want hands-on exercises to improve their code snippets.
The second edition of this book discusses how you can enhance your code writing in C# and .NET. The book teaches readers how they can use asynchronous programming techniques, parallel processing, and threading. This is a popular book for C# because it offers an intuitive approach to these concepts and helps developers practice real-world programming.
6. Head First C#
- Author: Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
- Best for: Game and software developers looking for expert tips
The book offers insight to game developers, programmers, and application developers. You’ll learn everything you need to know about object oriented programming concepts and game development with the Unity game engine.
Additionally, it’s written in a way that’ll help you create programs in C#, Visual Studio, and .NET Core. There are puzzles, activities, and exercises for a more hands-on approach than traditional reading affords.
7. Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 2021
- Author: Harrison Ferrone
- Best for: People looking for a book that caters to the game developer community.
This book provides an engaging reading experience for Unity programmers, game developers, and game or coding enthusiasts. You’ll learn about Unity, modern C#, and building games. What stands out with this book is that you can get involved and develop your skills by participating in a community of game developers and professionals.
Some of the topics covered are blocks of programming, conditional statements, variables, XML, exceptions, stacks, and queues. There are also web development tasks that you can perform to hone your professional skills in code writing.
8. Murach’s C#
- Author: Joel Murach and Anne Boehm
- Best for: Readers looking for guidance on building desktop and mobile applications
This programming book is an exhaustive guide to developing Windows forms and database applications for desktop and mobile apps. You can build on previous knowledge of .NET, Java, or C# by reading this book.
The book is written to give you a strong foundation in object oriented programming concepts, database programming, and Visual Studio. You’ll also get to know business requirements for developing better real-world applications.
9. Pro C# 8 with .NET Core 3
- Author: Andrew Troelsen and Phil Japikse
- Best for: C# programmers of all levels
The book is written by professionals in the software industry with experience in programming. It has been updated nine times to ensure that the content captures the full extent of the progress in software engineering. You’ll learn about the features offered by programming in C# 8.0 and ASP.NET Core to create web applications with modern frameworks.
10. The C# Player’s Guide
- Author: RB Whitaker
- Best for: Readers looking for continual growth in C# programming
The book’s current version comes with speed runs, challenges, and side quests for C# programmers. It’s one of the most updated books on C#, with information on C# 9.0. The fundamentals covered in the book are statements, variables, methods, and object oriented programming. The writing style of the book is surprisingly fun and interesting.
Alternative Ways to Learn C#
Complete novices can begin learning C# terminology and basic concepts by watching online videos. There are tons of educational materials that help professionals code in C#. You can also attend coding bootcamps, join meetups for software development, and attend conferences. These programs and events make for a memorable professional learning experience.
Is Learning C# Worth It?
Yes, C# is worth learning because it’s one of the most popular programming languages, according to Statista. C# is the most utilized of all .NET technologies, so there are plenty of software development and programming jobs that you can land by gaining C# skills.
There’s a learning curve that’ll help you gain credentials in programming for object oriented systems. According to PayScale, C# developers earn an average salary of $68,754 and a salary of $75,000 with skills in ASP.NET.
C# FAQ
There are excellent books on coding for beginners, including books on C#. You can work your way up to advanced topics by dedicating time to educate yourself. Books allow you to learn at your own pace and read through explanations.
You might find C# easier to learn because C++ is more in-depth. It’s not hard to learn C# if you put your mind to it. It might take a few months to learn C# basics, and a few months more of practice to become an expert. You can attend of the best C# bootcamps or benefit from online resources from Microsoft to learn C#.
To become a C# developer, you should be familiar with the basics, such as OOP techniques, data structures, SQL, class hierarchy, and threads. You should have a basic knowledge of HTML and jQuery for web applications.
An experienced developer should also know how to make professional web applications. They also must know design principles, SOLID principles, and language features in .NET and Visual Studio. If you’re interested in game development, then knowledge of basic game mechanics is a must.
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