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Summary: The only book you need to learn the "Java Language"
Review: If you are already a developer and wanted to learn Java then this is the book for you. This book clearly explains the language its nuances (this book is not verbose). The examples used by authors to demonstrate the concepts are excellent. I programmed a lot in C/C++ and the books I used to learn those languages are "The C Programming Language" and "The C++ Programming Language" respectively. Ironically, when I started learning Java I did not take up this book. Instead I tried several books and there are some good books out there but nothing that suited me well. I prefer "to the point" discussion that this book provides when learning a language and also like to know why a certain feature was included in the language. This book did exactly that. But if you are new to programming, then this book may not be for you. Other books that you may like to take a look at are: 1) Thinking in Java. This is available on the for Free(But its too verbose for my tastes). 2) Taming java threads( By Allan Holub. A very nice discussion of Java Threads and Caveats)
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Summary: Not how to program but how to program in Java
Review: This book is not the first I'd recommend to someone who has never programmed before. Although there are some exercises in the text, the book has too much depth and does not contain enough code examples to be a full blown programming tutorial. However, there is more to the book than simply explaining the technical facets of Java. The book contains good advice for the intermediate programmer on how to get the best out of the language, and discusses object-oriented practices such as designing classes to be extended, and times when it is wise NOT to extend a class. If you have programmed before and are looking for an introduction to Java, then I recommend this book without reservation. It is not too heavy to carry around and enjoyable enough (for me) to read cover-to-cover, but it is also detailed and structured well enough to use as a reference.
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Summary: The best general book about the Java language.
Review: As many of the other reviewers have noted, this is a good book for those coming from programming in another language such as C++. It provides a good overview of the standard library of classes you'll find in java.lang and java.util. The example code is generally well written and exhibits good programming behavior. But, by far, the best feature of this particular book is its index. The index is very, very complete and well done. It's always easy to find exactly what you're looking for. A good index can often make or break a book; in this case, it really makes it.
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Summary: If you buy only one Java book, make it this one!
Review: After reading this book and working many of the exercises within, you'll know the basics of the Java language better than most Java programmers do. The authors don't waste time on explaining the basics of object-oriented programming or details of the Java class library. If you already know OOP and feel comfortable with reading the online documentation then this is the book for you! This book is ideal for C++ programmers who don't know Java, but I'd also highly recommend it to programmers who already know Java but want to jump to the expert level or want to learn the new features of Java 2.
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Summary: Great book for beginning Java programmers
Review: This is a superb book, by intelligent authors who understand how to write precisely and clearly. I found it to be an ideal introduction to Java. I'm an experienced VB and VC++ programmer who understands advanced object-oriented concepts and has been itching to learn a language that can implement them. Coming from a strong programming background, this book was IDEAL for me. I don't think I would recommend it to someone who was new to programming, but this book has really gotten me up to speed quickly. I honestly can't imagine a better way they could have laid it out or presented the information. Maybe this book isn't appropriate for people coming from other backgrounds, but I think it's ideal for VB/VC++ developers who want to learn about Java - not just semantic differences, but the core philosophical undercurrents of both language. But I found the author dealing with some complicated Algorithms. I think the emphasis should have been on OO concepts not compared to anything and simpler algorithms that bring out Java programming concepts. The book teach java, irrespect of the computer platform. Because most people use PC platforms, the authors pay more attention to PC users. However, this preferential attention is so minor in comparing to the books overall contents The book is so concise and authoritative that I continue to use it as a reference.
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Summary: the best intermediate to advanced java book to date
Review: I'm disappointed with many of the low rated comments, this book is not for beginners, its an intermediate to advanced text. When you read the description it states: "Most of this new edition has the more experienced reader in mind". I started out with this book in college, it was assigned reading and I hated it, I had to read each page twice. But as I got more proficient with java and wanted to learn all the fine points, I couldn't find another book out there that delves into the core of the language as well as this book does. Most java books out there spend half the book discussing swing and the api classes, but this book discusses the language itself. If you're a software engineer especially, the most difficultly you'll have is debugging complicated code, you'll need to have a good understanding of how java works under the hood. This book was invaluable to me at work, because I didn't really understand why certain variables weren't getting updated, until I read that unless you specify them as volatile, a class will keep a cached copy of them. I had problems with the order of initialization of certain variables in a subclass, and then I read that top most super class gets instantiated first, then its subclass, on down the line, fields first, then the constructor guts. You can assume that any book written by the creator(s) of a language wont be introductory, but will give you an in depth look at the finer points of the language that other, more cursory books, gloss over.
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Summary: Good for experienced user, not for beginners
Review: This is the best book by far to explain Java itself, concise and clear cut, but don't expect to get much out of it if you haven't done any Java coding or are just getting started. After you code Java seriously for a while, you'll find this book beautiful.
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Summary: Solid, well written Introduction
Review: As opposed to a number of other introductory books for Java, this one doesn't cater to "Dummies", but to competent programmers who want to pick up another programming language. It gives a solid introduction to the language and manages to introduce the necessary object oriented concepts along the way without boring readers who have prior OOP experience. It is also entertaining without being overly cute. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone with prior programming experience.
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Summary: C++'s equivalent of "The C++ Programming Language"
Review: I am a hardcore C++ devotee that has recently fallen into a Java/J2EE project. I wanted to come up to speed quickly on more than just the syntax of the Java language. There are literally dozens of Java books that discuss the "how do I accomplish X in Java" type of issues. This book is focused more intently on why Java was designed the way it was. A few reviewers have stated that this book was dull, hard to get through, etc. I found it to be quite the opposite - I read every single page of the book, and I feel that I've come away with a greater appreciation and understanding of the language/platform than I had originally expected. "The Java Programming Language" is what "The C++ Programming Language" was to C++: an absolute tenant/required read.
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Summary: this book is the java language reference
Review: many reviewers seem to have the misconception that, somehow, this is a tutorial, a teach yourself java book. it is a reference for using the java programming language to design and write software, not a manual describing how to use the class libraries. it's great for deepening your understanding of how things are done in java and why they are done that way. it is supposed to be used in conjunction with books that discuss high level software engineering.
there are MANY great books for learning how to program in java. the core java books by horstmann and cornell are my favorites. if you want a quick reference, buy java cookbook or java in a nutshell. buy this book after you have a strong understanding of the libraries. you won't regret it. your code will have less bugs and be easier to understand.
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