Reader reviews

Genuinely excellent — I finished it in a week and immediately started again.

I have been working with windows desktop for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

It does the job, though it took some patience to get through.

I have been working with programming for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. Fine, but there are stronger books on the same subject if you look around.

Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Exactly the book I needed. Straight to the point and genuinely useful.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.