Rating: 
Summary: Way too terse to be useful
Review: This book is way too terse to be useful. Modern Java development tools will help you use the correct class method signatures anyway. Buy the posters instead and give yourself a visual overview instead.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic reference needed by all Java developers...
Review: This is a LARGE nutshell! This title is meant to be one volume of a three volume set that covers the entire language. Volume two covers the foundation classes, while volume three covers the enterprise classes.If you're just starting out with Java and you're trying to learn the language, this isn't the book for you. While Part 1 could be used as instructional material, it is truly "no fluff". It's best suited for an experienced object-oriented programmer making the leap to Java, or a Java programmer looking for a concise review. A good learning book would be "Learning Java" by Pat Neimeyer and Jonathan Knudsen from O'Reilly. The really valuable part of this book is Part 2. Each chapter defines the classes in that package with an explanation on what it does and how it works. There's a diagram that shows the class hierarchy from the root Object class, as well as what version of Java supports that class. This is then followed by all the constructors and methods used in the class. Don't expect detailed explanations on these methods. As a nutshell book, you get all the basic info on what's available, but you'll need to experiment with some of the methods before you understand them. A legitimate question might be... Why get this book if I have the online API documentation from Sun? I see them as complimentary. You can probably find much of the reference material in either source. Some will prefer the online hyperlink navigation, while others will appreciate having all the information on a subject in four or five pages that can be thumbed through. I know when I'm stuck on a problem I want both sources! For a Notes/Domino developer, it is somewhat similar to using online Notes help versus the manuals. In that case, the material is identical, so it's more your preference in how you like to look up information. In the case of this book versus the Java API documentation, you'll get good information from both sources, so you should avail yourself of both. Conclusion
If you've completed something like Teach Yourself Java In 21 Days and now you have to DO something with Java, you owe it to yourself to get this book. This will be one title you'll go back to again and again as you explore the wild, wild world of Java.
Rating:
Summary: A classic reference needed by all Java developers...
Review: This is a LARGE nutshell! This title is meant to be one volume of a three volume set that covers the entire language. Volume two covers the foundation classes, while volume three covers the enterprise classes. If you're just starting out with Java and you're trying to learn the language, this isn't the book for you. While Part 1 could be used as instructional material, it is truly "no fluff". It's best suited for an experienced object-oriented programmer making the leap to Java, or a Java programmer looking for a concise review. A good learning book would be "Learning Java" by Pat Neimeyer and Jonathan Knudsen from O'Reilly. The really valuable part of this book is Part 2. Each chapter defines the classes in that package with an explanation on what it does and how it works. There's a diagram that shows the class hierarchy from the root Object class, as well as what version of Java supports that class. This is then followed by all the constructors and methods used in the class. Don't expect detailed explanations on these methods. As a nutshell book, you get all the basic info on what's available, but you'll need to experiment with some of the methods before you understand them. A legitimate question might be... Why get this book if I have the online API documentation from Sun? I see them as complimentary. You can probably find much of the reference material in either source. Some will prefer the online hyperlink navigation, while others will appreciate having all the information on a subject in four or five pages that can be thumbed through. I know when I'm stuck on a problem I want both sources! For a Notes/Domino developer, it is somewhat similar to using online Notes help versus the manuals. In that case, the material is identical, so it's more your preference in how you like to look up information. In the case of this book versus the Java API documentation, you'll get good information from both sources, so you should avail yourself of both. Conclusion
If you've completed something like Teach Yourself Java In 21 Days and now you have to DO something with Java, you owe it to yourself to get this book. This will be one title you'll go back to again and again as you explore the wild, wild world of Java.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Poor
Review: This is absolutely one of the worst technical books I have ever purchased. It is very poorly indexed making it difficult to find what little useful information it contains. It leaves out very basic concepts leaving the student/programmer to learn by trial and error. As a C++ programmer attempting to make the transition to Java using this book, I have been left very frustrated.
Rating:
Summary: Book should be renamed Java for C programmers
Review: This is an OK Java book for most cases. I think the author got lost in the world of updating a piece of work he has already spent countless hours in and just wanted to get this one more revision out the door. Oh, yes, this book will be completely useless to you if you are not a C programmer. I have programmed in MANY languages for the past 15 years, and I couldn't find another reference book that does so little referencing to the language itself and so much to how it compares to C. My verdict go with some other Java book if you are not a C guru.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book to learn the basics!
Review: This is one of the best books around to get a general understanding of the JAVA language with respect to stand-alone applications; doesn't cover graphics or applets, but best reference for basics. Be aware, most of the book consists of the API documentation for all classes/packages except those dealing with swing/graphics.
Rating:
Summary: Best guide for the working programmer
Review: This isn't a textbook. It's a handbook, and gives good, clear descriptions of every corner of the Java language. Java isn't a big feature-sodden language, but has a few obscure corners. If you just can't remember the syntax for up-reference from an inner class, you'll find it fast and explained well. The API guide is fairly complete, but terse. Well, it has to be - the API keep growing. No one book could hold a complete description of everything. Sad to say, earlier editions had more complete API descriptions. The second, for example, had a very good introduction to reflection. As the Java API grew, however, the old descriptions had to shrink to make way for the new, and the reflection discussion was squeezed out. Still, it gives a good quick look at the API. This isn't as complete as the Javadoc API information, but is hugely more browseable. Use this to direct your query into the right area, then use Sun's Javadoc to get the details. If you have room for only one Java book, make it this one.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this one!
Review: This reference is difficult to use and I don't recommend it. I tried very hard to get familar with this book...but it was too unfriendly and not worth the effort in the long run. Unless you know what package a class is in, you are going to spend lots-o-time looking around. And even when you find the class, it is not very helpful. You might as well use 'javap'. Plus, it is difficult to differentiate between the different packages. I wish the author had included the graphical layouts of the classes from the previous edition...even if the text version is similar. Although I have not seen the previous edition, I was hoping for some graphical organization of the classes when I bought this book. The author, David Flanagon, should remove the Java tutorial and misc sections and improve the reference section.
Rating:
Summary: A classic reference.
Review: To clarify another review that listed the limited coverage of the new features in 1.4, the coverage of the new features is: 1. Assertions: 12 pages.
2. Logging: 16 pages.
3. New IO: 62 pages.
4. XML: 62 pages.
5. Preferences API: 9 pages.
6. JASS and JSSE: 22 pages (JAAS), 16 pages (JSSE).
7. Regular Expressions: 9 pages.
8. Security: The same as the 3rd ed., and the additions of JAAS and JSSE. This includes, of course, the information in the quick-reference section, which the previous review omitted. And this is the best part of the book, and this edition: the structure expected in Flanagan's reference remains, but it has been refined (including class heirarchy diagrams for each class, not just for each package) and elaborated. While it may seem overly simple -- it is mostly a listing of the signatures of every public method in every class -- it is invaluable when programming, for it answers the question of *what* the name and parameters of methods are. The *how* to use them is ultimately left to the programmer; the book does not hold your hand. Thus the book is, of course, merely an overview of the core Java classes. But it summarizes a very large and very complex API in a logical and easy-to-use manner, and those in search of detail on any single subject are better off purchasing a book on that subject. The only clear fault with this edition -- and it is a major one -- is the omission of the thumb-indexes from the quick-reference section. This makes navigating this most important part of the book more difficult, and I think the use of a magic marker on the edges of pages will become necessary. Except for this flaw, this is a five-star reference, still.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First catalog of all the core Java classes + XML
Review: While this book is 3 stars, having a refernece of many of the core classes is very handy, especially for those that the understand OO paradigm and are quick learners like me who don't need to walked through the classes with tons of examples - Just show me what's available and let me learn on my own. That's essentially what this books allows you to do, as this book is not really meant to teach but to provide an overview of the Java Platform. Being updated for 1.4, you can get up to speed on the XML classes and the new non-blocking IO library. This book is essential for new to say 2-year venteran programmers that would to have everything in a book and don't know all the classes in the API yet.
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