Rating: 
Summary: Great job teaching Java and OOP
Review: I super, highly recommend the book "Core Java2 Volume 1-Fundamentals" by Cay Horstmann. It does a terrific job of explaining Java and object oriented programming. I never really understood what the heck was happening all the time I worked with PowerBuilder and the other times I have tried to learn C++ and Java. I have bought several Java books that haven't helped me learn very much. I'm really excited because I finally "get it" and the explanations in this particular book are a big reason why.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book to Learn From
Review: I'm taking a Java course now using Deitel & Deitel's book and I'm finding that I need more from it so I went out and purchased this one. It's a great beginner's book for Java, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is completly new to programming.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent JAVA Book for VB and C++ Coders!
Review: If you have a background in either C++ or even Visual Basic and need to learn JAVA, this book is for you!I have a background in both and needed to add JAVA to my skillset for work. I bought Ivor's Beginner JAVA from Wrox (usually my favorite publisher) but found the book full of errors and typos. To top it off all the examples were very math related and didn't give me a "real-world" sense for what JAVA could do for me. This book is just the opposite. With great insight and tips for people with VB and C++ backgrounds, easy (and fun) reading, and in-depth coverage of the language, this book was the answer to my cries. The Authors are very adept with the language and have excellent writing skills. Volume I game me what I needed to begin my path towards the interpreted dark side :), but Volume II is definately needed for Client-Server coding, and more advanced topics. I would definately recommend this book to anyone with prior OOP experience (even a little) who need to learn the JAVA langugage. I was also very impressed by the non-hype, and the lack of Microsoft bashing. Core JAVA 2 is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent intro book for learning Java
Review: If you just start to learn Java, this is one of the best books you can find. It provides many detailed examples on all the basic stuff you need to know in Java, especially for beginners. Although some people think it's wordy, the explanation is comprehensive. I don't know whether this book is good for studying for certication exam, but I'm sure you can learn Java using this book. Some other books may help you study for the exam, but this book is one that really teach you "how to write real Java programs." It's also great to use as a course textbook for students with no background in java or programming. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good discussion of theoretical concepts but...
Review: It forces the reader to use pre-made classes (on CD), and this is just short of dictatorial. I bought all the books in the CORE JAVA series, and have gone thru all of them (no, not in a straight line). This book, as well as Vol. II, gave the necessary rudiments to understanding JAVA in detail -- which is good because clarity has no substitute. What bogged my progress was that I had to use the pre-made corejava.class at the first chapter way before I knew how to write one. In my opinion, the authors would have done well to introduce corejava.class at the end after readers had sufficient knowledge of the basics. I would have liked to learn the standard way of dealing with I/O using BufferedReader and InputStreamReader (as well as other classes and methods) even if it was the hard way -- only then would I have appreciated the corejava.class. But that's about all the downside. Explanations for theoretical concepts are excruciating enough to be a desk reference next to the Nutshell series by Flannagan. This set is a really nice read yup, even in the bathroom). The language is simple enough and not very technical. At best Core JAVA I should be a supplementary first book to JAVA after Friesen's JAVA 2 by Example, Eckel's Thinking in JAVA, and Horstmann's Computing Concepts Using JAVA Essentials (which is good despite similar pitfalls).
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: The book says it's geared towards more experienced programmers, and this is quite true. The authors don't really spend time going over the basics but instead directly dive into the meat of Java programming. As the cover claims, the authors use more "practical" examples in their code. For example, instead of using trees and animals to demonstrate object hierarchies and inheritance, they use an employee class (although that is actually quite common). The concepts are explained clearly with little junk or excess information. That's what makes this book a gem. Every sentence is helpful. While some people did not enjoy them, I particularly liked the "C/C++" and "VB" notes since I have background in both langauges. They illustrate key differences between these languages and Java. For example, one C++ note mentioned that you can only call constructors using the new keyword, and another mentioned that there is no destructor method in Java due to automatic garbage collection. Although this book is titled Volum I--Fundamentals, it covers quite a lot. There is extensive coverage of using Swing to build UI's and other things like also streams. In sum, this is a great book to learn Java with, particularly for those with prior programming experience and only want to know the useful stuff about Java.
Rating:
Summary: For "Fundamentals", definitely a great book
Review: The book serves the purpose of dealing with the Fundamentals in a great way. After reading this book, a person would have learnt everything to get his/her own Java programs/applets up and running. I don't say the person would be able to do great in a Java Programmer's job, but he/she would definitely have started on the Java road with confidence. The book goes at a very reasonable pace introducing not just Java concepts, but concepts of Object Oriented Programming. Concepts such as Objects, Classes, Inheritence are explained pretty nicely. Overall, most certainly a great book to get you started in Java, but does not go further beyond Fundamentals.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It
Review: This book is fantasic! It's probably one of the better written books on Java, and the examples are complete, thorough, and well thought out. As for those who would use this book to study so they can receive a certificate showing that they understand how to take a test, I don't recommend it. This book was obviously designed to teach a programming language, and not give a rough overview. For those who take certification exams, there are plenty of "24 hour dummy" books out there. As for me, I've learned quite a fiew tricks, and enjoyed this book immensely.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - This book is not for absolute begineers
Review: This book is not for people who are completely new to Object Oriented Programming. I would recommend you to read Java Reference first (it explains all the basics) and then come to this book. This is an excellent book if you are a C++ programmer and moving to java or if you know Object Oriented Prgramming to some extent. All the topics are explained nicely. The part with Swings is really clear. It is possible that first time you may not understand some things in this book if you are completely new to Java. But a second reading will help you understand everything properly. If you are buying this book because you want to learn java in 20 days, don't buy it. But if you really want ot master the programming language go for it. There is no book better than this. java is not a language you can learn in 20 days. The size of the book might scare a few people, but then Java is not a language you can cover in 300 pages. The author has done a really good job in explaining all the topics clearly. i won't recommend this book to students who are taking java courses in school for it might be too much for them. But if you are a programer in real world or if you want to learn java for professional applications there is no book better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - This book is not for absolute begineers
Review: This book is not for people who are completely new to Object Oriented Programming. I would recommend you to read Java Reference first (it explains all the basics) and then come to this book. This is an excellent book if you are a C++ programmer and moving to java or if you know Object Oriented Prgramming to some extent. All the topics are explained nicely. The part with Swings is really clear. It is possible that first time you may not understand some things in this book if you are completely new to Java. But a second reading will help you understand everything properly. If you are buying this book because you want to learn java in 20 days, don't buy it. But if you really want ot master the programming language go for it. There is no book better than this. java is not a language you can learn in 20 days. The size of the book might scare a few people, but then Java is not a language you can cover in 300 pages. The author has done a really good job in explaining all the topics clearly. i won't recommend this book to students who are taking java courses in school for it might be too much for them. But if you are a programer in real world or if you want to learn java for professional applications there is no book better than this.
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