C# 12 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference

by Joseph Albahari

When you have questions about C# 12 or .NET 8, this best-selling guide has the answers you need. C# is a language of unusual flexibility and breadth, and with its continual growth, there's always so much more to learn. In the tradition of O'Reilly's Nutshell guides, this thoroughly updated edition is simply the best one-volume reference to the C# language available today. Aimed at intermediate and advanced programmers, this is a book whose explanations get straight to the point, covering C#, the CLR, and the core .NET libraries in depth without long intros or bloated samples.

Genres: Programming

1083 pages, Paperback

Published December 19, 2023

Reviews

[Bartłomiej Falkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wanted to read one of those “C# in a Nutshell” books by Joseph Albahari. I’d been postponing it for years, always finding something more “attractive” to read instead. This time, I was stubborn enough to finally do it!

C# 12 in a Nutshell is the reason why I value books over documentation, tutorials, or online forums (anyone heard of Stack Overflow?!). Even such a narrowly scoped book has an inherent idea and plot under the hood. It has a beginning and an end. It’s written by a single person (or just a few), and the chapters usually connect to each other, so you learn gradually and adaptively. That’s why I try to use books as my first reference when searching for a solution.

Moving on, this book is about C# 🙂 You can feel the age of the first publication, and the “C# 12” in the title is a bit of clickbait. Most modern language features are described somewhat artificially, as if they were added later.

However, apart from that (and a few chapters I wasn’t really interested in—Regex, COM interoperability, and a bit too much XML), it’s pure gold. Fundamentals, collections, LINQ, TPL, tasks—all the things an average .NET developer uses on a daily basis—are the strongest parts of the book.

So I’d sum it up with a quote from Scott Guthrie on the back cover, which perfectly reflects my feelings: “C# 12 in a Nutshell is one of the few books I keep on my desk as a quick reference.”
Bingo!

[Ángel Cazalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anteriormente me inicié en la programación en C# con Head First C#, de la misma editorial. Este libro es una referencia indispensable para quienes desarrollan en el entorno .NET, ya que combina un enfoque práctico con explicaciones avanzadas.

[Prince Venus · Rating 5 out of 5]

very detailed an in depth