Top C# books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite C# books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of C#

Understanding the concepts of C# starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Pro C# 10 with .NET 6: Foundational Principles and Practices in Programming

This book goes beyond “do this, to achieve this” to drill down into the core stuff that makes a good developer, great. This expanded 11th edition delivers loads of new content on Entity Framework, Razor Pages, Web APIs and more. You will find the latest C# 10 and .

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 2019 - Fourth Edition

By the end of the book, you'll be familiar with intermediate C# topics like generics, delegates, and events, setting you up to take on projects of your own. What You Will Learn: Understand programming fundamentals with practice examples in C# Explore the interface and features of Unity 2019.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Pro C# 9 with .NET 5: Foundational Principles and Practices in Programming

This essential classic provides a comprehensive foundation in the C# programming language and the framework it lives in. Now in its 10th edition, you will find the latest C# 9 and .NET 5 features served up with plenty of "behind the curtain" discussion designed to expand developers’ critical thinking skills when it comes to their craft. Coverage of ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, and more…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

C# 12 in a Nutshell

This book provides exactly that map of knowledge in a concise and unified style—free of clutter and long introductions. Like the past seven editions, C# 12 in a Nutshell is organized around concepts and use cases, making it friendly both to sequential reading and to random browsing.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

C# 6.0 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference

C# has become a language of unusual flexibility and breadth since its premiere in 2000, but this continual growth means there's still much more to learn. Organized around concepts and use cases, this thoroughly updated sixth edition provides intermediate and advanced programmers with a concise map of C# and .

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Murach's ASP. NET Core MVC

If you know the basics of C#, you’re ready to learn how to create web applications using Microsoft’s powerful technology, ASP.NET Core MVC (Model-View-Controller). And there’s no more practical way to do it than with this book.By the end of section 1…just 5 chapters…you’ll be developing real-world web apps that follow the MVC pattern, using C# code for the model and controller classes…HTML, CS…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional C# Reading

These books are not required for you to learn C#, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The C# Player's Guide (5th Edition)

The book in your hands is a different kind of programming book. Like an entertaining video game, programming is an often challenging but always rewarding experience. This book shakes off the dusty, dull, dryness of the typical programming book, replacing it with something more exciting and flavorful: a bit of humor, a casual tone, and examples involving dragons and asteroids instead of bank ac…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The C# Programming Yellow Book: Learn to Program in C# from First Principles

Learn C# from first principles the Rob Miles way. With jokes, puns, and a rigorous problem solving based approach. This book offers several hands-on labs along the way to help you build and test programs using skills you've learned up to that point. In the final lab, you'll put everything together.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Murach's C#

It's a self-paced book that shows you how to use Visual Studio, C#, and the . NET classes to develop Windows Forms applications… whether you're new to programming or not. It's an object-oriented book that shows you how to use business classes, inheritance, and interfaces the way they're used in the real world.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Microsoft Visual C# Step by Step

Expand your expertise--and teach yourself the fundamentals of programming with the latest version of Visual C# with Visual Studio 2017. If you are an experienced software developer, you’ll get all the guidance, exercises, and code you need to start building responsive, scalable, cloud-connected applications that can run almost anywhere. .

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

C#: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners

C# is one of the most widely used programming languages available, and for good reason. Developed by Microsoft, it boasts a simplified syntax, type safety, garbage collection, cross-language capabilities and developer support. It is easy to learn, easy to read and a joy to work with.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

C# in Depth: Fourth Edition

C# is the foundation of .NET development. New features added in C# 6 and 7 make it easier to take on big data applications, cloud-centric web development, and cross-platform software using .NET Core. Packed with deep insight from C# guru Jon Skeet, this book takes you deep into concepts and features other C# books ignore. C# in Depth, Fourth Edition is an authoritative and engaging guide that …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

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Augment your C# books

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With 17+ years of experience in the industry, I have worked as a tester, a lead/manager, and as a developer. I have worked on large teams (OneDrive, Power Automate), as well as taking a v1 product from inception to running at a global scale. Delivering interviews, designing systems to work …

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I am an experienced lead software engineer whose main area of expertise is Microsoft stack, which includes ASP.NET (Framework and Core), SQL Server, Azure, and various front-end technologies. I am familiar with industry-wide best practices, such as SOLID principles, software design patterns, automation testing principles (BDD and TDD) and microservices …

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Hi, I’m Varun! I’m a Software Engineer based in Dublin, currently working on building scalable backend systems and cloud-native applications. I’m passionate about clean code, thoughtful system design, and continuous learning. I’ve navigated the early stages of a tech career myself, so I understand the challenges and questions that come …

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I have been in the software industry for almost 20 years and have worked in a variety of domains, including gaming, e-commerce, healthcare, finance, and insurance, to name a few. Currently, I am a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft Canada. I’d be happy to offer mentorship on a wide range …

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Tech Lead / Senior software engineer with 20+ years in full cycle development, dedicated to mentoring growth. Throughout my career, I have honed my skills in software architecture, design, and development while working on a wide range of projects for clients such as startups, established businesses, and large corporations. My …

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Hey, I’m Saeed 👋 I’ve been building stuff with .NET 💻 for over a decade. from tiny scripts that saved me hours ⏱️ to large, complex systems out in the wild 🌍. I love writing clean, simple code ✨ and helping developers grow their skills and their careers 🚀. Whether …

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