Essential .NET will enable developers to take advantage of the full power available to them in Microsoft .NET. It goes far beyond the features-based "how-to" books currently on the market to also explain the "why" behind C #, .NET, and the CLR. As with all of Don's books, it is packed with practical detail and expert advice. It promises to be the book developers will reach for first with questions about the CLR and .NET. In his new position at Microsoft Don is even better placed to evangelize for this book. He will be speaking everywhere, and will continue placing articles in MSDN, where he has already started excerpting this book. Since this book was first announced last fall, there has been a groundswell of interest in it. There will be a foreword from Jim Miller, the inventor of the CLR. Originally appeared in October 2001 catalog.

Don Box是微软公司的架构师，主要研究方向为下一代Web服务协议和程序设计模型。Don是软件集成技术方面的权威。在上世纪90年代，他花费大量时间为CLR积极筹建了组件对象模型[Component Object Mode(COM)]社区。他是简单对象访问协议[Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP)]规范1.1版本的缔造者之一，同时他还是畅销技术专营《Essential COM》、《Effective COM》和《Essential XML》(以上3种图书的中文版已由中国电力出版社出版)的作者及合著者。

Chris Shells是COM和.NET方面的资深独立顾问，也是DevelopMentor的讲师。他是《Windows Telephony Programming》的作者，《Effective COM》及《ATL internals》(中文版《深入解析ATL》已由中国电力出版社出版)的合著者。