ISBN1-4188-3623-0

I needed this book for a college class. Like most college books they are overpriced. I understand supply and demand but I think there is a point where they just do it because they can get away with it. Shame on the publisher and the author for pricing this book way out of it's price range. While the book is very informative and takes baby steps to get you up and running with VB 2005 so do plenty of others for half the price and twice the information. I have other VB books that I use that are jam packed with info for half or better the price. I would like to point out that this is a good book but leaves you wanting more and unless you require it for college or something then I would by it second hand and teach them a hard leason about economics.

The presentation of information is poorly arranged and unneccesarily detailed to the point of being longwinded. Rather than speaking concisely about the features and characteristcs of the language, the author chooses instead to tediously hold the reader's hand through examples which often span entire chapters. If you can't tie your shoes by yourself, you might consider this one. Otherwise, it will be an insult to your intelligence. Book is also both heavy and flimsy at the same time, making it cumbersome to handle and carry around. On the plus side, it makes an excellent doorstop.

I received the book promptly and in perfect condition. It was much easier, faster, and cheaper than any other site I have tried in the past.

I've used this book for a Visual Basic 1 class. You could practically teach yourself through this book. It has a clear presentation of the topics covered and I rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. This is the book you want for an introduction and more to visual basic 2005.

At the college where I teach, we are in the process of starting up new major and minor programs in management information systems (MIS). Our first offering in the program will be a new course in programming with VB.NET that will be offered in the summer of 2008. Furthermore, the course will be offered in an accelerated format which will require the student to do a great deal of the work on their own, Therefore, my examination of this book was for possible adoption as a textbook for this course. After looking it over thoroughly, I have decided that this is the book I will use.
The primary background of the student population will be in business and no assumptions can be made concerning previous programming experience. No such assumptions are made by the author; the only computer experience needed is the ability to navigate through a windows environment.
The coverage of VB.NET is thorough, at least at the level of the fundamentals. All of the basic control constructs and GUI objects are covered, included file access, class construction and ADO.NET. There were several features that convinced me to adopt this book.

*) The structure of the writing; it is clear, concise and at a level appropriate for the students.
*) The large number of review questions at the end of each chapter. This will provide additional work the students can do on their own that can easily be corrected online.
*) The programming exercises included at the end of each chapter. This will make it very easy to assign programming assignments that are slight alterations of these exercises.
*) The large number of color diagrams demonstrating exactly what the student can expect to see on the screen.

Developing new courses that are part of a completely new program is always challenging and a bit stressful. With this book, I am confident that the first offering will go smoothly and I can save the stress for future classes in the programs.