Rating: 
Summary: Good for computer science students
Review: This book is different from the other popular Core Java books by the same author. It has many mathematics examples. Some examples are useful in business. I trained Java and Advanced Java in many firms in the New York area. This book is too much for one Java course, and not enough Advanced topics for two courses. But it is a valuable reference for someone who knows Java.
Rating: 
Summary: Clear as Mud
Review: This book was in use by my High School son's computer science class. I am a C programmer with little Java background, and I found this book confusing and of little value. Multiple examples were carried through the book, but in a sporadic fashion that makes it difficult to follow from start to finish. This is a terrible reference book, and I've got to believe there are better books about Java available.The one star is for the benefit of those that want some of the computer science knowledge that is contain within. The author should have focused on that aspect of their knowledge-base, and used Java for the examples. If you're new to Java, but not programming, look elsewhere as this book won't be of much use.
Rating:
Summary: Clear as Mud
Review: This book was in use by my High School son's computer science class. I am a C programmer with little Java background, and I found this book confusing and of little value. Multiple examples were carried through the book, but in a sporadic fashion that makes it difficult to follow from start to finish. This is a terrible reference book, and I've got to believe there are better books about Java available. The one star is for the benefit of those that want some of the computer science knowledge that is contain within. The author should have focused on that aspect of their knowledge-base, and used Java for the examples. If you're new to Java, but not programming, look elsewhere as this book won't be of much use.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good book for beginners
Review: This is not a good book for Java beginners. I would recommend looking at some other book if your going to try and learn Java for the very first time. The book hops around on topics, does not present the information in a simple or straight forward way. I would recommend looking for a different book if you are new to Java.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good book for beginners
Review: This is not a good book for Java beginners. I would recommend looking at some other book if your going to try and learn Java for the very first time. The book hops around on topics, does not present the information in a simple or straight forward way. I would recommend looking for a different book if you are new to Java.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: This review is based on the first 5 chapters only - the rating might prove unfair.
The writing is fine and if you want to learn the basics of Java and object oriented programming I'm sure you'll eventually reach the goal even if there are plenty of detours on the way.
But two things baffle me: Firstly Horstmann assumes that the reader doesn't know the first thing about computers. This leads to many totally unnecesary explanations. No computer novice would ever consider picking up a book on Java.
Secondly Horstmann is a math enthusiast. Too many of the examples and exersises are of the calculator type. Seriously if I want to add two integers I'll use my pocket calculator - I don't think I'll need to write a Java programme. It would be good with more useful examples.
The book is not bad though. Horstmann just needs to focus on the OO and the Java and forget about the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: More than just a Java textbook for a class
Review: When I bought this book, I was unaware that it was written with the intention of being a class textbook for learning not just Java, but also the basics of computer science. Even so, this is an excellent Java book that will serve the reader well. First, this book is extremely well organized. The table of contents lays out the biggest points of each chapter without cluttering. In turn, each chapter has its own table of contents, outlining more minor points. Things that relate directly to Java and the targeted course are outlined in black, while other topics such as coding suggestions, historical notes and bits of trivia are outlined in blue. This makes navigation through the book very easy and straightforward. As any textbook has, this one has plenty of practice exercises. These exercises are very relevant to the topics covered and offer the reader some practice. If you buy this book and are turned off by the idea of doing a bunch of exercises, well, don't do them. Then again, practice does make perfect... Many people like Java books that plunge right into graphics programming. I don't. This book does cover basic graphics and applet programming fairly early on (chapter 4), and that is not much to my personal preference. But, it's relevant in relation to the information in surrounding chapters. The book even comes with a style guide, which is very nice when you would like some idea of coding standards. Perhaps you will adopt the author's suggestions, perhaps not. Either way, it's an excellent place to start. This book covers some advanced topics, including XML, JSP, servlets, and relational database interfacing. The coverage is clear and occurs later in the book after the building blocks are out of the way. There are some errors in the book. HOWEVER, there is an errata page, at the author's web site, that addresses the problems and gives very clear corrections. Most programming books seem to have errors in them, and this one is no exception. The fact that there is a very easily accessible path to get the updates (at no extra cost) is a big plus. Before I got this book, I was using "Thinking in Java" (Eckel) as my primary book for learning Java. Big Java has taken TIJ's place. I heartily recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the Java language.
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