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Rating: 
Summary: Not a pleasant book at all.
Review: Compared to other Java books I have used, I find this one rather poor in comparison. The program examples are not helpful at all unless you are trying to create an exact copy of their program. The diagrams are not helpful, there is a lack of color. Also, the binding on this book is not secure. I purchased this book new and just about everyone in my class complains that theirs is falling apart as well. For the price, this book is not worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: OK for Complete Beginner
Review: I'm teaching from this book for the second time this semester, and
I'm mostly happy with it. I have a few comments, though, that
don't really come out in the other descriptions and review here:1) The book has a very good set of exercises, though some have
typographical errors. 2) The number of typos is high for an intro text (not surprising
for Thomson/ITP, though), so make sure students are aware of the
on-line errata. 3) The authors make a few unfortunate, incorrect remarks which,
fortunately, aren't critical to learning Java. A particularly
egregious example is their claim that "a thread is a process." 4) The index is very poor, making me disagree with the reviewer
who said the book is a good reference. For example, buttons are
introduced on p. 17 and used extensively throughout, but the only
mention in the index is of p. 368. In general, classes and
methods are given very short shrift in the text. 5) The text uses its own GUI API, which is ok, but not very well
documented. The on-line documentation is vague on a lot of
points, which is unfortunate since the index is so bad. There are probably better texts for complete beginners, though
this isn't really bad. The layout and typography remind me of a
high school text, which is really not a problem. Anyone with
prior programming experience, though, will want to go elsewhere,
e.g., Arnold, Gosling, and Holmes.
Rating:
Summary: OK for Complete Beginner
Review: I'm teaching from this book for the second time this semester, and
I'm mostly happy with it. I have a few comments, though, that
don't really come out in the other descriptions and review here: 1) The book has a very good set of exercises, though some have
typographical errors. 2) The number of typos is high for an intro text (not surprising
for Thomson/ITP, though), so make sure students are aware of the
on-line errata. 3) The authors make a few unfortunate, incorrect remarks which,
fortunately, aren't critical to learning Java. A particularly
egregious example is their claim that "a thread is a process." 4) The index is very poor, making me disagree with the reviewer
who said the book is a good reference. For example, buttons are
introduced on p. 17 and used extensively throughout, but the only
mention in the index is of p. 368. In general, classes and
methods are given very short shrift in the text. 5) The text uses its own GUI API, which is ok, but not very well
documented. The on-line documentation is vague on a lot of
points, which is unfortunate since the index is so bad. There are probably better texts for complete beginners, though
this isn't really bad. The layout and typography remind me of a
high school text, which is really not a problem. Anyone with
prior programming experience, though, will want to go elsewhere,
e.g., Arnold, Gosling, and Holmes.
Rating: 
Summary: A good second or third Java Book
Review: This book provides the new-novice Java programmer with some practical examples for using Java for the study of Computer Science. Unlike many of the Java books out there this one does not skimp on the instruction of Computer Science principals in parrellel with the instruction of the Java language. As a plus it has some pretty useful breakdowns of classes that will be useful to a new Java programmer(such as String, Math, etc.) If those reasons were not enough, it also makes an excellent reference because of the way the book is written. The logical progression between chapters allows you to remeber almost without looking at the index exactly where that one snipit of code to do something was. I think that this is a must for any programmer who is teaching themself to program, because one cannot learn just to program without the theory behind how it should be done.
Rating:
Summary: A good second or third Java Book
Review: This book provides the new-novice Java programmer with some practical examples for using Java for the study of Computer Science. Unlike many of the Java books out there this one does not skimp on the instruction of Computer Science principals in parrellel with the instruction of the Java language. As a plus it has some pretty useful breakdowns of classes that will be useful to a new Java programmer(such as String, Math, etc.) If those reasons were not enough, it also makes an excellent reference because of the way the book is written. The logical progression between chapters allows you to remeber almost without looking at the index exactly where that one snipit of code to do something was. I think that this is a must for any programmer who is teaching themself to program, because one cannot learn just to program without the theory behind how it should be done.
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