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Rating: 
Summary: This book alone got me Sun Certified
Review: A superb book - well written, easy to understand and loads of examples and exercises. Having never programmed in Java before I bought this book and studied from it full time at home for eight weeks. I then took and passed the Java Sun Certified Programmer exam. All you really need to pass the exam are the first 13 chapters - but do the rest as well! What better complements can I pay this book or the author!
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Summary: I Like it Like that!
Review: After searching several books that would teach java 2, I have concluded this is the best book I could find. Don't be fooled by the title "beginning java 2" This book is a whopping 1100 pages plus (and smaller than usual font). Covers Java Core, I/O Streams, util package, Threads, Basic to Intermediate Swing (graphics) and JDBC (database). It is well written with good explanations, Code Snip lets and "Diagrams!". The explanations are detailed which is great for novice programmers and useful for seasoned programmers moving from another language to Java when stuck with a concept. Seasoned non java programmers can read through the code snip-lets and grasp concepts through the numerous diagrams that explain key concepts easily. It is not a skim by the surface book leaving you with holes of thought nor is it a book that just covers elementary topics. The author goes from the elementary to intermediate level with good detail. It is not a quick reference. Well Done! Ivor Horton
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Summary: This book IS exceptional!
Review: I program in Java only sporadically, but this book has ALWAYS come up with the goods whenever I've needed to find out how to do something in Java. It also got me through my Java exam. Yes, it's long; yes it's a bit of a struggle (how could it not be... it's teaching a complex and feature-rich programming language from scratch); yes, the author is a bit verbose; yes, JSP and other wonders aren't covered (a cursory glance at the back page tells you what it DOES cover), but, OVERALL, it's a real winner and I cannot recommend the book highly enough. As for errors in the book: not many compared to other tecnical books. The number of errors to number of pages ratio is tiny. I don't wish to sound cruel, aloof or snotty here, but those reviewers who have been baffled by the book (and have, basically, zero-rated it as a result) should consider brushing-up on their burger flipping skills, because real life programming is full of brain-bending stuff that at least matches (and often dwarfs) the trickier parts of the book.
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Summary: Mr. Sandman wrote this book...
Review: It is not the sheer amount of pages that makes this book an efficient sleeping-pill, nor the sometimes unexiting programming-language Java. It is the remarkably unpedagoghical way that Horton presents that puts your lights out. I wish I could say that the book is atleast a good reference, but since the code is so entangled in the text and the subjects so badly explained, I would be lying.
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Summary: Ivor : master of polysyllabic babble.
Review: Ivor Horton is probably a great mathematician , but he is not a great teacher.He starts of well , but quickly gets bogged down in prime numbers.A Student would benefit far more from a "real world" example ,than from an enigmatic one.
The book comes to a grinding halt , when Ivor tries his hand on "utility classes". Full of messy "try it out" examples and bad programming habits (excessive use of the static variable , because he programs a lot in the "main" method), this book will only satisfy programmers with previous experience , who are willing to put up with Ivor's sence of humor. A word on ratings , "*****" should be reserved for books of extraodinary quality and this book does not fit the bill , by ANY measure. Most user ratings are grossly inflated, making them useless.
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Summary: I honestly think it's a good book
Review: My friend and I have a collection of books which we swap with each other and it's a pretty good scheme because if I read something which I think [is bad] he wouldn't bother wasting time reading that book, and vice versa, plus it saves us both money. I accompanied my friend when he bought the book Beginning Java 2. At first glance of the book, we both felt that it'd be a long exhaustive reading because it's too thick, I can't even hold it properly in my hands. But my friend bought it anyway, with my influence, because we know it will be beneficial to us and we're both excited on learning Java. Two months passed and my friend gave-up on the book, he said it was too boring and confusing. Still I borrowed the book from him hoping I'll have a different perspective.
While I was reading it, I too found it confusing, I spent a lot of time rereading paragraphs before comprehending it. I cannot seem to fully understand why Mr. Horton wrote the book as it is. Having read a few hundred pages from the book without full-comprehension of Mr. Horton's writing style I too gave-up. But after a few months and after a little java research from the web I continued reading the book, with a little bit more knowledge about java, I begun understanding more of Mr. Horton's explanations and found the book informative.
I honestly think it's a good book and I'm sure Mr. Horton exerted a lot of effort writing the book, I wouldn't give it a 4 or 5 star rating though because it consumed a lot of my time. The reason I think why many rated the book 1 or 2 stars is because the examples and the way it is written doesn't interests them and because it's been crowded with too many confusing explanations. It's not a book which you'll be reading with great enthusiasm but if you're only interested in learning Java and doesn't give a damn reading such a thick boring book, then by all means try the book, I'm certain it'll give you a good foundation in
Java.
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Summary: In a word: baroque
Review: The bad... Long, long, long. And this isn't a reference where you get bang for your buck, a lot of stuff like JSPs and the like aren't covered, because this is a *beginning* book. Horton's write style tends toward the long and winding, and sometimes you get lost in the path. The first chapters (the first 3 or 4) are OK, but he starts to lose control ad some point. What I ended up doing was using Java in a Nutshell by O'reilly and just using this book for fill in gaps for stuff I couldn't figure out from Nutshell's more compact treatment. So the good... It's a decent reference companion for a better book that's written in a less long-winded fashion.
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Summary: Too consusing for a learning text
Review: The book tells you too many things you can do but shouldn't do and not enough of what you should do. It leaves you wondering what way is the right way. It should tell me what to do and why and leave it at that. The examples he uses are not helpful and would be easier to understand if they were real-world. He even makes simple things such as variable definitions and casting complex. The book is so thick because over half of it is there to confuse you instead of getting to the point.
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Summary: Don't part with your money just yet
Review: This book has now been chosen as the standard text book in our company. I say no more. Enjoy it!
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Summary: Do not buy this book
Review: This book is horribly written. I plan on burning it when my java class is finished. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 are exceptionally bad. They cover file io, and it tells you how to instantiate a class, but not how to use it. Amid the maze and jumble of words, some have been able to glean a meaning from the examples he's given. Most of us weren't so lucky. Rest in peace, Java class.. rest in peace. More than 2/3 my java class is failing because the book isn't worth the pages it's printed on. He could not have chosen a more obtuse way of wording things.
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