Rating: 
Summary: Great Book - For the right level
Review: This book is not for the advanced programmer, nor is for the rank beginner. But, if you've got some general programming experience and want to really learn java this is the way to go. This book especially gave me a solid footing on object oriented java. I still have it around as a reference. Good book.
Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: This book was the assigned text for my university java course and the book turned out to be excellent. The transitions from C++ taught in previous courses was handled to perfection with the book making references to C++, Delphi and VB code to help the reader understand what was being done by showing equivalent operations in these other languages. If you are moving from another language to Java this book is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: There is a NEW EDITION
Review: This is a great book but there is a new edition. Go to ISBN number 0130471771.
Rating:
Summary: There is a NEW EDITION
Review: This is a great book but there is a new edition. Go to ISBN number 0130471771.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is an excellent book that provides plenty of depth while being extremely readable. This book is designed for people with some programming experience. If you have no programming experience than the book may be a little challenging. The swing and graphics chapters are particuarly good. Overall a great book that shows you how to do a lot of useful things with Java. Also recommended: Volume II which discusses more advanced features.
Rating:
Summary: The only bad thing about this book is the binding...
Review: This is the first programming book I've read past 200 pages without getting bleary-eyed. Like the heading of the review suggests, though, the binding is not great, but that's hardly the authors' fault!
Rating:
Summary: A book for programmers, not novices
Review: This was exactly what I needed for diving into Java. I'm a VB programmer and project manager. A friend highly recommended this book as one written for programmers (not novices), so I took his advice -- and he was right. Core Java 2 assumes I know the essentials already, and that I simply need to learn the language. If you're already a programmer with a language or two under your belt, and want to learn Java, I think you'll find this book to be what you're looking for.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's say not among the best
Review: well i thought this book could include more on swing and awt classes . I also feel that the lucidness sometimes is taken on an extreme which can be bugging.all in all people who have absolute no knowledege in Java or c++ can or wanna just fill in shelves buy it.The reason why i gave it 4 stars is because it is "ergonomical" for reading and refering and Little extraneous or diversifying material. I suggest THINKING JAVA - BRUCE ECKEL....
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Well, that says it all. I'm a computer science student with a background in other programming languages, and I found the "CORE" series to be generally wonderful reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend to someone who is casually curious about programming (as a matter of fact, programming isn't really for the casual person). This book will focus on the basics, and can take computer science students to the next level.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Written - I agree!
Review: Work in the IT field 10+ years. BS Mathematics, MSCS. I've been using Java off-and-on for 2 years. I read Core Java for a few weeks and became frustrated during reading. I felt like I had to think about every concept as the author is not precise. I even found the explanations at times deceptive. For example, the author states that placing Instance Variables at the end of the source file is a standard. The author does not mention that it affects shadowing of variables. It also felt as if I was reading a novel. Core Java is really unnecessarily wordy. It's these annoyances that made me buy a book more in-line with that of a college text. I finally picked up a copy of A Programmers Guide to Java Certification by Mughal and Rasmussen (M&R). Wow, what a difference. M&R get each topic across in 40 pages or less. It takes twice that many pages in Core Java to get the same point across and it's still not clear. In M&R, the examples are always a page or less due to professional coding techniques. This code is enlightening and provide you with a better sense of real-world programming. In Core Java, the examples are unecessarily extensive (reams of pages in many cases) primarily due to beginner coding techniques. The only reason I gave this book two stars is that it does cover quite a bit of ground and has great notes comparing VB and C++ to Java (if this matters to you). In contrast, M&R could be used as a textbook for a java class at the university level. If you've never programmed before don't buy it, but if your new to java and have programmed this will make clear all concepts. It's definitely a better bang for the buck. .... As an amendment to this review - I recently passed the SCJP2 exam with M&R within a six week period. If you really want to learn the language in it's entirety don't expect to get it from Core Java. Cheers GG SCJP2.
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