Further Reading

These books are highly recommended.

.NET Framework- and CLR-Specific

The following books are specific to the .NET Framework and/or the CLR. They are recommended for additional or complimentary coverage to the ideas presented in this chapter.

Essential .NET, Volume 1. The Common Language Runtime; Don Box with Chris Sells; ISBN 0-201-73411-7. Addison-Wesley, 2003.

Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard; James S. Miller and Susann Ragsdale; ISBN 0-321-15493-2; Addison-Wesley, 2004.

Type Systems and Languages

These references are great for readers wishing to drill deeper into the field of type systems and programming language design. They cover both background and cutting edge topics.

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Second Edition; Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman; ISBN 0-262-01153-0; MIT Press, 1996.

Types and Programming Languages; Benjamin C. Pierce, ISBN 0-262-16209-1; MIT Press, 2002.

Concepts of Programming Languages, Seventh Edition; Robert W. Sebesta; ISBN 0-321-33025-0; Addison-Wesley, 2005.

Essentials of Programming Languages, Second Edition; Daniel P. Friedman, Mitchell Wand, and Christopher T. Haynes; ISBN 0-262-06217-8; MIT Press, 2001.

Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming; Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi; ISBN 0-262-22069-5; MIT Press, 2004.

Static Typing Where Possible, Dynamic Typing When Needed: The End of the Cold War Between Programming Languages; Erik Meijer and Peter Drayton; http://pico.vub.ac.be/~wdmeuter/RDL04/papers/Meijer.pdf, 2005.

Generics and Related Technologies

A number of books cover generics and parametric polymorphism — such as C++ templates — in great detail. Generics is a very powerful technology. I recommend reading any of these books to fully realize its potential and capabilities.

Professional .NET 2.0 Generics; Tod Golding; ISBN 0-764-55988-5; Wrox, 2005.

C++ Templates: The Complete Guide; David Vandevoorde and Nicolai M. Josuttis; ISBN 0-201-73484-2; Addison-Wesley, 2002.

Generative Programming: Methods, Tools, and Applications; Krzysztof Czarnecki and Ulrich Eisenecker; ISBN 0-201-30977-7; Addison-Wesley, 2000.

Specific Languages

The idea of the CLR as a cross-language runtime was introduced in this chapter, along with some examples of specific languages. Although most of this book is C#-oriented, many languages offer unique features and views of the world through their syntax and manner of combining data types. These books are each great for becoming familiar with a specific language.

Professional C# 2005; Christian Nagel, Bill Evjen, Jay Glynn, Morgan Skinner, Karli Watson, and Allen Jones; ISBN 0-764-57534-1; Wrox, 2005.

The C# Programming Language; Anders Hejlsberg, Scott Wiltamuth, Peter Golde; ISBN 0-321-15491-6; Addison-Wesley, 2003.

Professional VB 2005; Bill Evjen, Billy Hollis, Rockford Lhotka, Tim McCarthy, Rama Ramachandran, Bill Shelden, and Kent Sharkey; ISBN 0-764-57536-8; Wrox, 2005.

The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition; Brian Kernighan and Dennis M. Richie; ISBN 0-131-10362-8; Prentice Hall, 1988.

The C++ Programming Language, Special 3rd Edition; ISBN 0201700735; Bjarne Stroustrup; ISBN 0-201-70073-5; Addison-Wesley, 2000.

The Design and Evolution of C++; Bjarne Stroustrup; ISBN 0-201-54330-3; Addison-Wesley, 1994.

Dive Into Python; Mark Pilgrim; ISBN 1-590-59356-1; Apress, 2004.

Practical Common Lisp; Peter Seibel; ISBN 1-590-59239-5; Apress, 2005.

Common LISP: The Language; Guy Steele; ISBN 1-555-58041-6; Digital Press, 1984.

The Scheme Programming Language, Third Edition; R. Kent Dybvig; ISBN 0-262-54148-3; MIT Press, 2003.

Haskell: The Craft of Functional Programming, Second Edition; Simon Thompson; ISBN 0-201-34275-8; Addison-Wesley, 1999.