Rating:  - go read "4guysfromrolla.com" and msdn instead
This book covers ASP.NET basics for people familiar with C# or VB.net, and the web in general. However there are a few bad things about it:
* Most examples are included in both C# and VB.net. The examples first appear as complete listings, then again as fragments, interleaved with explanations of what the various pieces do. This means that there is so much redundant information that it becomes tireing after a while. The fact that the author sometimes refines the examples over several iterations, reproducing the entire source again, makes the book even more bloated.
* It's all hobby code. Database connections are not closed after use, and this is such a trivial mistake that one wonders: "being an asp.net novice, how many other things will this book teach me to do wrong". SQL Injection is another thing. I thought one always should use parameters for commands, not construct them using a string builder.
The book has no value as a reference, but that would be needless anyway since msdn and the .net framework sdk documentation does a great job at that.
All in all there are some good things in this book, but it seems to be a "first generation" asp.net book, based on an experienced programmer tinkerting with new technology; not the sum of experiences of someone that has in-depth knowledge of asp.net. And I suspect this is a widespread flaw of asp.net books on the market.
Rating:  - Best Book for Learning ASP.NET On the Market
~This is what a primer should be: clear, well written, comprehensive, excellent. The coverage of the controls is first rate, the coverage of working with Data is unparalleled. This is a complete introduction to programming ASP.NET that goes beyond the fundamentals to teach advanced topics.
The examples are given in both C# and VB.NET which is helpful in many ways, and each example is short, to the point and well conceived. The descriptions and analysis are first-rate.
The book covers all
Rating: - Unusual lucidity
This book jumps out of the pack for its clear, well-written, and often thorough introduction to ASP.NET. Unlike a great many authors in this field, Jesse Liberty writes well and clearly. He engages the reader one properly-explained step at a time in logical progression and liberally provides code examples, virtually all of them in *both* VB.NET and C#.NET code. This is the one of several ASP.NET books I - a long-time VB and ASP programmer - bought that turned on the lights for me. A chapter on securing ASP.NET applications is alone worth the book's price.
However the book fails where so many in this field do: it hurls itself into explanation of code and framework features and how to use them without providing even rudimentary instruction in planning and designing ASP.NET applications. The serious programmer won't find concentrated chapters on best practices in architecting for the .NET framework, suggestions for maximum efficiency in application development and its products, real-world tips and scenarios for implementation and installation, or other issues outside the mere writing of code. Although tidbits appear throughout the book while explaining code, even experienced programmers from other environments may be left thinking, "OK, but how do I start?" Well, with more reading. Applied .NET Framework Programming by Richter is one book which offers a few chapters on issues like these, and the MSDN site now has many articles, but I'm still hoping to find a great single guide to building great ASP.NET apps.
Rating: - Good for beginners
I use this book to move from VB6 to ASP.NET for some new projects. I have some knowledge of past ASP, but little experience implementing it. For me, the book was a very good tutorial. Don't pretend, as other reviewers, to have all in one solution: it's a tutorial. If you already know ASP.NET I recommends you another one for reference and more advanced topics and specialized areas (security,web services, XML, etc.)
The double code presentation (C# and VB.NET) in almost 99% of the examples, increase the book and gave you the wrong impression of covers all bases deeply. But this approach, help you consider, in case you don't already, what language fits you best.
Rating: - Excellent Introductory Book
I have several books describing the .net ASP platform. The examples in both VB and C# in this book are a great idea. What is lacking-and this applies to all the books on asp.net that I have read and used- is the methodology of applying dynamic data-driven control manipulations. Perhaps this is a result of an incomplete release of this framework by MS corp. Overall, the .NET framework does not impress me as a professional tool set; perhaps next version will fill in the gaps. But if you need to do the 80% no-brainer, trivial stuff then this book lays it out for you in a very clear manner.
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