I have read many technical books over the years and this is one is one of those books that you know you better keep handy. I really like how Robert has this book laid out and how he introduces you to Silverlight. I've been a .NET guy since version 1.0. But like most developers, I haven't had the chance to really dive into Microsoft's latest technologies like Silverlight until they have a few versions released.



I found that the book is laid out very nicely; the first few chapters will introduce you to the tools (Visual Studio 2010). Then it will lead you into what Silverlight is and how to use it. What I really liked about this book is that it gave you background information about previous versions of Silverlight. This is a great way to learn Silverlight as you soon realize the early gotchas of the framework so if you are developing a new Silverlight application or joining a team tasked with upgrading a Silverlight 2.0 application. You will be ready to go.



Beginning Silverlight 4 will walk you through data binding, layout management, Silverlight controls and much more. It takes a slightly different but much appreciated way of presenting information to the reader. Each section offers two methods of implementation that contain pictures code samples to solve the presented task; usually declaratively and in code. I like this approach because it allows you to learn the approach that's fits your coding style.



I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn Silverlight. You should be knowledgeable in C# before picking up this book! My only recommendation for Robert in a second edition is I wish the code that was presented in the book was in color!