Rating: 
Summary: Indespensible for the Java/XML developer
Review: Having some experience with both Java and XML in the past, I read this book before starting out on a project using Java, XML and servlets together. I found it an excellent overview of the available technologies. SAX and DOM are covered fully and succinctly, getting you up to speed in no time at all. The book is structured to alternate between XML-oriented and Java-oriented chapters, building up your skills in a sensible, incremental way.On the down side, the book had a few typos (very few given the extraordinary pressure to get this book on the shelves as quickly as possible). Also, the coverage of JAXP, say, was minimal, whereas JDOM received a lot of attention (not surprising, since Brett McLaughlin is one of the founders of the project). This will probably be a strength of the book in the future, since JDOM is a superior API and will probably be widely adopted; it's not any use to me now though, since according to jdom.org the API is still in beta (even though the book says 1.0 is available) and I can't very strongly argue for the use of an untested beta API in a production environment.
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Summary: Finally! XML from a developer's standpoint!
Review: I've read several books on XML that have been mainly a regurgitation of the specifications without much attempt to help a developer understand how the technology can actually be used. This is the first book I have read on this subject that actually bridges this gap and gives useful, working examples of how XML can be used in your Java applications to solve real-world problems. Instead of giving a code snippet that shows only how to call the XML parsing/processing APIs, the book gives full examples on how to use XML in applications from servlets for presentation to B2B applications for data collaboration between companies. The book was well written and easy to follow. The author doesn't waste time reiterating the same things over and over. Links for more information on each subject are given in the text. If you are looking to implement an XML solution in Java, this book will be a great help along the way.
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Summary: Outstanding. I wish there were more books like this.
Review: VERY well written, uptodate, it is a pleasure to read this. If you are a developer, or are interested in XML, this book should be on your bookshelf; it is on mine. It gives SAX a bit more attention than many other books I have read, and the stuff on JDOM is superb. The examples are very instructive. I only wish the author had placed the java code for download, if only to save my two fingers.
Rating: 
Summary: The title should be XML and Java
Review: Why? Because there is too much emphasis on teaching XML, which by the way, is not done that well either. A better book to learn XML is the XML Bible. Anyway, I bought this book not because I wanted to learn XML, which I know, but because I was intrigued by the title. I thought I would get a hardcore look at XML from a Java perspective. Not so, though.
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Summary: The most complete Java and XML book!!!
Review: If you are a Java developer at any level trying to take advatage of all XML has to offer, you absolutely cannot miss this book. Just look at all this book covers in its table of contents, amazing! Brett covers these technologies as though they've been around for years and the examples he walks you through are excellent. Also, if you're irritated with the mess that is DOM and are remotely curious about working with JDOM, this book is an absolute necessity to get yourself started. Bottom line, by the time you are finished with this book (and you will read it cover to cover) you will be the Java/XML interaction expert in your software group and will have a new wealth of ideas to help put you and your project onto the cutting-edge of XML technologies.
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Summary: As current as it gets
Review: I tried to submit a review once already, but it got ignored... in any case, this is the most current book available on XML. Not only does it cover all the stuff I was looking for (including XML Schema), it covers the latest version of the specifications (many as late as April!). I found SAX 2.0 (the final release, even) and the latest XML Schema, both of which I am using at my company, and needed up-to-date support. The book is even more accurate than some of my favorite web page resources! It also covers JDOM, something the author wrote, which makes my life so much easier - I had to use DOM before, and JDOM is much simpler. It also compares JDOM and DOM in the code samples (side by side) so I got to see exactly where the differences were. Finally, a hidden gem - this book covered RSS! Something I hardly knew about, we are now doing our entire portal site in RSS thanks to "Java and XML". Pick it up - more in here than I even knew was useful, plus all the examples work (! ) and are not silly Hello World things.
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Summary: Java and XML for the real coder
Review: It's my business to read a lot of Java books and know a lot about Java. As far as I am concerned, this is the book that lets me put Java and XML together into projects that work for me on my job. If you want to get past the alphabet soup and start writing code that really does something with XML, there isn't a better book than this one. The book covers the Apache XML Project products in detail as well as the Sun APIs.
Rating: 
Summary: An up to date, practical book for Java developers
Review: Hi there - if you're reading this, then you're at least thinking about picking up a copy of "Java and XML." Just for that, I appreciate your time and thought! In writing this book, my goal was to make it practical and relevant; additionally, it is geared specifically for Java developers. You don't need to know anything about XML (not even what it is) to start with this book, as I walk though XML, XSL, DTDs and XML Schema, and the fundamentals from start to finish. Additionally, you don't have to be a Java wizard - many readers have been telling me this is their first Java book, and they are learning to be Enterprise Java Developers with it. So for any level, as long as you can type javac and are willing to work a bit, it's right for you. O'Reilly was very helpful, in that they let me make changes all through production to ensure the book is accurate and up-to-date. Several drafts and APIs were updated and finalized in April 2000, and I'm happy to say the book is 100% current to those specifications - including SAX 2.0 (final), DOM Level 2, XML Schema (April 7), XSL, XML Namespace, and all the rest. So if you want current (and sometimes bleeding edge) information, this is a great place to get it. Finally, this is for real-world, Java developers. No "Hello, World!" stuff here - while the first half of the book teaches you the basics of using XML, SAX, DOM, and JDOM, the last half of the book (6 chapters!) is chock-full of practical examples, all of which I have put in production in some fashion before I ever wrote the book. XML-RPC servers, business-to-business applications with RSS (and even some Perl!), XML configuration files, Apache Cocoon - it's all covered, and its actually useful. I'm very happy with the end result, and hope you'll be willing to spend thirty bucks or so to follow along with me - there are details on how to contact me in the book, and I'm happy to help you along the journey. Enjoy, and thanks for taking the time to read all this ;-)
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Summary: It's actually current!
Review: Wow. I've been reading about XML for six months now, and this is the first book that wasn't that far behind! I got the Wrox book, which was out of date from the first time I read it (which was only two weeks after it came out), and some others which were similar. This managed to cover SAX 2 and DOM 2, plus the latest XSL and XML Schema, all released around April. I don't know how O'Reilly does it, but they did it again here - and the JDOM coverage is really interesting, too. A must read for developers who want to be ahead of the curve, not behind it.
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Summary: Practical guide to life after the Java and XML honeymoon
Review: If Java and XML is considered the perfect marriage, then this book is the practical guide to life after the honeymoon and beyond. A well written book for any Java developer who wants to get a good working knowledge of using XML in Java projects, it contains good tutorials on the basics such as SAX, DOM, DTD, XSL etc and a good tutorial and intro to JDOM, a new alternative to SAX and DOM. In addition, there are good discussions with working examples of real world applications such as XML-RPC, B2B etc. Covers some of the most recent developments in XML including SAX 2.0, DOM Level 2 and XML Schema. Lots of practical examples and advices from someone who's been there and done that. Fun to read and candid in nature.
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