Rating: 
Summary: Great for C++ developers
Review: I wanted a quick but thorough review of the Java programming language that could draw from my C++ background. This was it. Herbert Schildt organized the book logically and succinctly into a work that was worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: A great supplement
Review: This may not be a book for starters, but it sure is one of the best and most comprehensive, let alone comrehendible, reference books on Java that I have found.I does not teach you how to program, but it certainly provides you with all the you programming code you need to understand how to implement the various classes and functions in Java. If you're new to Java, this is a must as your second book, and this is a book you're going to keep.
Rating: 
Summary: Incomplete and not a good reference
Review: It's rare for me to pan a book, but I wouldn't call ANY programming book that dosen't have ANY information on database connectivity in that language (not even the word database in the index!) acceptable. Almost any program you write for ecommerce or the web that isn't a game will use a database. And this book won't tell you how that works. It also starts off the coding on the wrong foot--- no, everything dosen't go in the main. This book caused me more problems than it solved.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: This is a very good reference book to have at your desk, especially if you like having a concrete book to read, instead of looking online at the java.sun.com help. The coverage of most topics is very impressive both in depth and the number of examples given, however the book is not perfect as it barely touches on a few important subjects like Java Swing, Servlets, and Database programming. Aside from being a solid reference, this book is also good at teaching new concepts (when they are included!), especially the Java Collections framework.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start for People from VB world
Review: This is a very good book for starters who come from VB world and want to get hands on knowledge of java fast. The book would help u to grasp and learn java pretty fast and then u can open any book written on java and build ur skills accordingly.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely the Best Java book to start with
Review: This is definitely the book to read if you are thinking about learning Java or gave up on this because of its technicalities. Herbert Schildt is the master of explaining things in simple language and believe me this book is the most interesting treatise on Java till now. Though this book has few typos and a couple of examples which don't compile, yet I would give it my best ratings. Because Schildt is at his best in arousing interest in something like a programming language!! I read this book 2 years back and switched to Java. This book has the relevant and basic information on almost all the topics in Java. But if you are a serious Java progammer looking for a good reference book, its too late for this book...
Rating:
Summary: Decent Book....Could have been better
Review: The book is really good when it comes to the basics of the Java language and syntax. However, there are a quite few typos and the code printed at times does not compile. Particularly the "box" program. Where the book really starts getting weary is in its dealing with I/O and advanced methods and classes. In this section, little or no examples are given on the use of certain classes. Also the way it deals with Swing and JDBC is pretty elementary. JDBC which is of great importance to serious Java Programmers is completely ignored except for a 10 line mention! These glitches apart, Shildt and Naughton deal with java authoritatively and comprehensively. It is a good introduction to someone who is new to java but it cannot be termed "The complete reference." The title misguides the reader..... --Sachit
Rating:
Summary: Reviewer Book for the Java Certification Exam
Review: This book is great. Clear and concise. Currently using this book as my main reviewer reference in preparing for the Java Certification exam. As to the rating scale for book binding quality, I give Osborne McGraw Hill "nil" star on this one. I suggest this company make a "recall" announcement of all similar rubbish binded books sent out to Australia and the world. We will all appreciate McGraw's efforts in replacing these books soonest. Thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent book, could use more editorial
Review: The sections I've read of the book so far are well written and easy to follow, and typically have good examples. But there were a couple areas I was dissapointed in: 1: The authors should have given a bit more advice on which classes are now preferred, which classes programmers really use, etc. Examples: In the Collections Framework section, I would have appreciated more advice about how to decide which is the best collection class to use, some guidelines or something; Java 2 has LOTS of collection implementations to choose from. The same is true for the java.io section; which file/io routines to programmers really use. How important is buffered IO in the real world? Is it worth the extra steps to code, etc. 2: The examples were generally good, though there are some changes. First of all, examples were repeated frequently with a few lines changed. It would be nice to see those specific new lines highlighted in some way. Also, in some cases, I would have liked an additional, new example vs. just repeating and modifying the previous example. But the examples weren't bad, certainly on a par with other books. I still would recommend the book, but not as a sole reference or tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Thorough Reference for Java Programmers
Review: If you are looking for a book that can provide you with teaching you the fundamentals of the Java programming language as well as a good reference to fall back on, this book hits the mark. The first section of the book is almost painfully thorough on teaching you the basics of Java programming and even touches briefly on the important concepts of Object Oriented Programming. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how much programming experience you have in other languages such as C++. The remainder of the book contains overviews of the Java AWT, Networking, the Threading Module and even provides some detailed examples. Although these reference sections are not as thorough as the language tutorials, they still provide an excellent resource of information to depend on while programming in Java. I would recommend this book more for the novice/beginner Java progammer who could learn the language with this book and then further supplement the latter reference information with more advanced books later.
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