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The best books for Java programming
Here is our list of "essential" Java programming books. Of the plethora of programming books on the market, we think the ones below are among the best. If you're looking for good books, you can't go wrong by starting here.
We are also reviewing newer books, which are more up-to-date with respect to the current Java standards. As we find new books that merit the title "essential," we will add them to this list. So be sure to stop by again.
We classify each book by technical level and content type. Our categories for technical level are Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced. Technical level identifies the kind of reader who would benefit most from the book -- a beginning, intermediate, or advanced Java programmer. Our categories for content type are Reference, Design, and Idioms. Books having a Reference designation contain factual information about Java (syntax, features, usage rules, etc.) that everyone needs to program effectively in Java . Books having the Design classification show how to structure programs (source files, declarations, classes, hierarchies, etc.) to produce code that is reliable, maintainable, and reusable. Books having the Idioms classification demonstrate commonly expressed usages of programming language features, analogous to commonly spoken phrases in a natural language.
The categories are abbreviated as follows:
| Introductory: | INTRO |
| Intermediate: | INTMD |
| Advanced: | ADV |
| Reference: | REF |
| Design: | DESIGN |
| Idioms: | IDIOMS |
Look for these designations at the end of each book listing.
Java Programming Books
| CAMPIONE et al., The Java Tutorial, Addison-Wesley, 1996, ISBN 0-201-63454-6. |
Friendly and concise introduction to Java. Needs to be updated (covers JDK 1.0) but still a good read. Look for a new edition. |
| [INTRO] | |
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| CHAN et al., The Java Class Libraries Second Edition, Volumes 1 and 2, Addison-Wesley, 1998, ISBN 0-201-31002-3 (vol. 1), 0-201-31003-1 (vol. 2). |
The de facto standard reference manual for the key packages in the Java library. |
| [REF] | |
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| CHAN, PATRICK, The Java Developer’s Almanac, Addison-Wesley, 1998, ISBN 0-201-37967-8. |
Useful listing of all the classes in the Java 1.2 library, including methods, and non-private fields, and which items are deprecated. |
| [REF] | |
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| ECKEL, BRUCE, Thinking in Java, Prentice-Hall, 1998, ISBN 0-13-659723-8. |
By far the most friendly Java book, written by one of the best educators in the industry. Puts Java in the reach of anyone who knows a little programming. Very complete and up-to-date. |
| [INTRO, INTMD, DESIGN] | |
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| KANERVA, JONNI, The Java FAQ, Addison-Wesley, 1997, ISBN 0-201-63456-2. |
Very nice for learning the "tricks of the trade". Covers JDK 1.1. |
| [INTRO, INTMD, REF, IDIOMS] | |
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| LEA, DOUG, Concurrent Programming in Java: Design Principles and Patterns, Addison-Wesley, 1997, ISBN 0-201-69581-2. |
In depth treatment of multi-threaded and concurrent programming techniques. |
| [INTMD, ADV, DESIGN, IDIOMS] | |
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| NELSON, MATTHEW T., Java Foundation Classes, McGraw-Hill, 1998, ISBN 0-07-913758-X. |
Very complete tutorial on the swing classes in JDK 1.2. A must for GUI developers. |
| [INTMD, REF] | |
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| ARNOLD, K. & GOSLING, J., The Java Programming Language, Second Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1998, ISBN 0-201-31006-6. |
"The definitive tutorial/reference by the creators of the Java language. A must have." |
| [INTRO, REF, DESIGN] | |
