.NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference, Volume 1: Base Class Library and Extended Numerics Library, 1/e

Rating:
Summary: Didn't disappoint
Review: Having been an avid reader of Brad Abrams blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/brada) for a year and a half, I was eagerly anticipating this book from the moment it was announced; it didn't disappoint. The SLAR provides an extensive description and example of each type, as well as comments from the likes of Anders Hejlsberg, Kit George, Jeffrey Richter and Brad Abrams himself. These comments provide hints and clues into the inner workings of the Base Class Library (BCL) types and why Microsoft chose to implement types in certain ways. This book was an interesting read and like Sean below, I am also left wanting more. However, with Volume 2 on the horizon, I enthusiastically wait...

Rating:
Summary: Easily Accessible Information
Review: Reference books often are densely packed with information. And this book is no exception. But the utility of any reference book is often a function of how easily you can find a desired subject, and, once there, how understandable is it explained. On both counts, you should find that this book stands well.

The sheer volume of information has been carefully laid out. The various .NET types (classes) are easy to find. For a type, example code is often included, along with the mandatory "official" description of the type. Some of you will appreciate the examples, as these are written to be easy to follow.

If you have programmed in Java, you should be familiar with Sun's "Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, API Specification", which is an online documentation for Java. This book has much the same flavour. In fact, it has a CD with the entire book's contents. So you can access the CD much like a Java programmer would the above.

One interesting difference, though, is an extra feature present in this book. For many types, there is added commentary by various of the 7 authors. These narratives are more informally phrased than the descriptions or examples. They offer extra insight, increasing the book's utility.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have for .NET Developers
Review: This book is extremely insightful and interesting. Not only is there great information and example code (both within the book and on CD), you get to read comments from the designers of the BCL object model. Comments from the designers include: how to use, how not to use, what could have been implemented better, and other useful information. I was extremely impressed and the only downside is that now I'm left with wanting more volumes! Hopefully more of these annotated references will become available for .NET Framework classes outside of the BCL.