Rating: 
Summary: Just like its predecessor
Review: The Java Developers ALMANAC 2000 is one the best reference books that I've every seen. It clearly goes through the class libraries. Clever use of <B>bold</B> text formatting and a terse set of symbols representing modifiers and OO concepts make this a very "dense" reference in a relatively small volume. The printing and paper quality is good too. The book should be printed every quarter !
Rating:
Summary: An impressive achievement
Review: This book condenses the vastness of Java 1.4 GUI classes into a hefty 1000+ pages. It's divided into 4 sections. Part 1 contains examples of usage of the different classes, with a focus on how to accomplish something specific, from creating a JLabel component to playing MIDI audio. Part 2 contains detailed information about the classes themselves, and contains references to code examples from Part 1 to see how the class is used in code. This is essentially the documentation that SUN's website provides, but in my view, it's more condensed and the references to code are a bonus. Part 3 contains topics on the transition of Java from 1.0 to its current incarnation, detailing deprecated classes, new classes, etc. Part 4 is the cross-reference section, where if you know the name of the method, but not the class that contains that method, you can simply look it up. There's much more than just methods, though; subclasses, descendants, fields, and "extended by"'s are also some of the details here. This book is quite an impressive achievement, and I hope to get my hands on Volume 1 sometime soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Bare Bones Map of the Java API
Review: This book is mainly just a skeleton sketch of the Java API. It doesn't compare favorably with the online documentation unless a very watered-down guide is just what you're looking for.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have Reference
Review: This concise, affordable, reference book is a must-have for any Java programmers. This book covers virtually anything about the Java language and its APIs, up to the version 1.2beta3 (including JFC 1.1 aka Swing, Servlets, 3D, Media, you name it). One caution: since this book is purely a reference containing no examples at all, novices may need some other resources (e.g. "Java Tutorial" by the same publisher) to learn the language and how to use it. However, this book would be a single great source for anybody who does serious coding in Java.
Rating:
Summary: Worth it¿s weight in gold!!!
Review: This is a great book!!!! Clear, concise and full of great info!! This is the definitive desk reference for Java developers of all levels!! Much like the my old MS C++ run-time library reference, this book is right next to my computer at all times!!
Rating:
Summary: The essential reference for Java programmers.
Review: This is an almanac; and, true to its name, it packs a LOT of information into a SMALL package. Thorough and yet concise, it has the highest content-to-page ratio of any programming reference I have seen. The Java classes are big and the _Java Developers Almanac_ is the tool to use to quickly find the details needed to get programs running. It is a great help for rapid prototyping in new application areas, and to fine-tune and polish the finished product. The "traditional" class documentation found in other reference books can be tiring, frustrating and time consuming to use because it usually only describes what is new to a class, leaving it to the reader to flip around to chase up the inheritance tree to see everything. The "Almanac" tells everything for every class. While this may be a redundant use of paper and ink, it is a great time saver to the programmer trying to use a new class. This is not a book to learn Java or object oriented programming. This is an excellent reference for the experienced object oriented programmer. The _Java Developers Almanac_ is a "must have" reference for contractors and "road warrior" programmers who only have a briefcase for an office.
Rating:
Summary: If you know Java, why don't you own a copy of this?
Review: This is Patrick Chan's answer to O'Reilly's Java in a Nutshell. The difference is that the "Almanac" is concise and is more fitting for an experienced Java developer. I recommend this book to any serious Java developer who knows the language. The next great reference: "Java Example Almanac". Patrick, are you listening?
Rating: 
Summary: Good for, if you don't have IDE tool.
Review: Volume 1 covers java.beans to org.xml packages useful for server side development.
Volume 2 covers java.applet to javax.swing packages useful for developing GUI application.
This is is a review for Vol. 1.
This book is not for begineers or not for learning A Java.This book is a good reference book
for all the java Packages, Classes and Interface.
Packages is useful when you need an overview of a package or what other related classes are
available in a package.
Classes gives complete detail of the ancestry of the class and a list of every member in the
class.This part is useful when you're already working with a particular class and want quick
reference to all of the members in the class.
It has lots of hands on examples, which are very useful for finishing a particular task like,
reading a file, sending a socket etc. like programmers need some basic routines,while coding. I recommend this book for those, who does professional coding and need to in touch with API.
Rating:
Summary: This is what i call complete reference
Review: Well there is so much material in this book. WOW! buy it asap if you are looking for some good java reference book. Almost nothing is missed out in this book. Plus points the book is reader friendly and is also up to date. You need this book even if you are only occasional java programmer. BUY IT.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have book for serious Java programming.
Review: With the greatly increased Java classes, this book (or one like it) is a must have. It doesn't describe the semantics of the classes and methods but a sophisticated OOP programmer, familiar with the application at hand, can often infer much of that. And for those of us who are over 30 and can't remember a bazillion signatures, this book is terrific.
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