Rating: 
Summary: "Help! I'm in a nutshell!"
Review: JAVA IN A NUTSHELL (THIRD EDITION) is one of those computer science books that I had always been told was excellent. Professors, friends and co-workers all recommended it to me so many times that I eventually bought it soon after I began programming in Java. Having used this book as a reference on numerous occasions, I must say that it doesn't quite live up to its hallowed reputation, although it does have a number of positive points in its favour.The opening few chapters of the book are really good at setting the stage for the beginning Java programmer. While it probably isn't simple enough for someone who is a complete newcomer to the language, it is excellent for people who already know a little bit and require more information. The sections on Java syntax are quite thorough and understandable. The Object Oriented Programming portions are readable and informative, without bogging the reader down with endless detail. The background information on Java (the structure, the way methods/variables work, the flow of programs, etc) is all handled brilliantly. Part One of this book is definitely something you'll want to treasure. Part Two, the bulk of the book (Chapters 9 though 29, and covering a staggering three hundred, seventy-six out of six hundred, forty-eight pages), is devoted to what is referred to as the "API Quick Reference". It's the self-proclaimed "real heart" of the text. Unfortunately, this is the portion where the book really falls flat. What David Flanagan has done is to go through the most common Java packages/classes/APIs and cut them down to a bare listing of all their methods, exceptions, hierarchies, etc. While this covers a broad amount of information, it does not cover it deeply at all. I agree with his choice of most-used APIs, but he doesn't go in to nearly enough detail about them. Almost all of the methods are given no description; they're just named. If you are using this to look up the precise spelling/capitalization of your favourite methods, then this will do nicely. However, if you're curious as to what each method actually does, you won't find any enlightenment here. When one boils down the Java documentation this far, one finds that there really isn't much left at all. Certainly nothing that's actually useful. The first part of this book is first rate. It's easy to understand, well-organized and great for beginners learning the language as well as for experienced programmers who require reference material. The second part of the book is not so good. For any detailed information you require, you'll find yourself forced to consult other sources (probably Sun's own API specifications which are available for free on their webpage). Make sure you know what you're buying. The first half of this nutshell is excellent, but you'll need something else to go with it to have a completely worthwhile reference.
Rating:
Summary: May work for you
Review: The first 150 pages of this book contain a summary of the Java langauge that is alone worth the price. In fact, summary is not the right word since it is so complete, I'm not sure anything is missing. You will need other books to learn the API or OOP. As for the langauge itself, it is all here-- the groy details included. Did you know that a long can't be used in a switch statment? These and other traps are all in there.
Rating: 
Summary: JAVA in a Nutshell - A Desktop Quick Reference, 2nd Edition
Review: This book is written in O'Reilly's classic-style, and did not disapoint me. It is an excellent quick-reference material for all of the classes in the essential Java 1.1 core packages. It is a great introduction for accellerated learning of Java for C/C++ programmers, but probably not for the beginner with no object oriented programming experience. The text packs a ton of information tightly into 600+ pages and is very well organized as a quick reference. The first portion of the text describes the Java language, and the 2nd half delves into the object models for the standard Java core packages. Since the text is a Desktop Quick Reference for just the core packages, and the Java language and packages continues to evolve, you will likely need to supplement this text with other Java texts for real world development efforts, but I will keep this volume handy as a very useful reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitive reference
Review: This is the must-have reference for Java developers. Its Java primer is excellent for those transitioning from C or C++.
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