Java: The Complete Reference, J2SE 5 Edition

Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner (Series).)

Head First Java, 2nd Edition

Java In A Nutshell, 5th Edition

Murach's Java Servlets and JSP

Beginners Guide

Java: A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition (Beginner's Guide)

Format: Paperback
Author: Herbert Schildt
ReleaseDate: 23 November, 2004
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Rating:

Just what I was looking for
I have been reviewing books to replace Head First Java as a text at a local community college. I think that this book is a great place to start with Java. To me the vast majority of texts out there do not deal with objects soon enough and spend too much time with GUI's and Applets without giving a good foundation in the language first. This book gives a broad perspective of the language without cluttering it up with a bunch of eye candy. It is the first that I have seen that deals with generics, threading, and enums and does so in a manner that will not cause the new user to choke. In addition to providing clear examples and explanations, the author also gives real world usages of the material taught. There are examples of when to use and not to use certain features, and what the pitfalls and potential traps are that a new coder might not be aware of. All in all this is going to make a great text.

amazing anyone can understand this
anyone new or old to these subjects need to ave this but becouse nothing is perfect i give it a four. im only 13 years old but i understude this book perfectly it covers all the basics of the two subjects and some of the advanced studys.

Not so great
I would not buy it again and the only reason I bought it in the first place was because it was a required text book. It was OK, but I wasn't overly impressed with it.