Java HomeNewsJava-Based AppsDeveloper ToolsDeveloper AssistanceEducationCommunityEventsFeedback
Books and reviews This page features book reviews by IBM's Beth Tibbitts -- "Beth's Bookshelf" -- as well as other Java book listings and resources.

Beth's Bookshelf
Welcome! Let's start off with some of my favorite Java books, and then move on to other books, most of which cover Java 1.1. First time visitors may find the key to audience descriptions and ratings helpful.
(Last Updated: January 27, 1998; look for the New! indicator)

Core Java (3rd Edition)
Beginner Rating: 5 Gary Cornell and Cay S. Horstmann
SunSoft Press / Prentice-Hall
ISBN 0-13-766957-7; 630 pages; $39.95 US

My all-time favorite. Good for serious programmers, with minimal hype. I have all three editions of this book; it's that good. This 3rd edition is now in two volumes.
Update! The second volume, Core Java 1.1, Vol. II - Advanced Features, is now available. [more...]

The Java Class Libraries: An Annotated Reference
Audience: Advanced Rating: 5 Patrick Chan and Rosanna Lee
Addison Wesley (The Java Series)
ISBN 0-201-63458-9; 1660 pages; $59.99 US
This hardcover book covers all the APIs for Java 1.0 with good, simple examples, and is very comprehensive. It does not cover the Java language, just the APIs. It's the best Java API reference book in my opinion. [more...]
Update! The 2nd edition, covering Java 1.1 (the first of two volumes) is now available! (See the next review.)

The Java Class Libraries: Second Edition
Audience: Advanced Rating: 5 Patrick Chan and Rosanna Lee
Addison Wesley (The Java Series)
Vol 1: ISBN 0-201-31002-3; not yet available
Vol 2: ISBN 0-201-31003-1; 1682 pages; approx. $55.00 US
The first of two volumes to replace the 1st edition (see the previous review) for Java 1.1 is now available. Like its predecessor, it's excellent! [more...]

Java in a Nutshell - A Desktop Quick Reference for Java Programmers (2nd Edition)
Audience: Beginner Rating: 4 David Flanagan
O'Reilly
ISBN 1-56592-183-6, 438 pages, $19.95 US
The 1st Edition (now discontinued) is very good and also got my highest rating. The 2nd Edition is getting mixed reviews, because so many of the good examples were omitted for space reasons, but it's still a very good, concise introduction and reference book for programmers who already know C/C++. Many of the good examples from the 1st edition, and many more, are now available in Java Examples in a Nutshell by the same author. [more...]

Teach Yourself Java 1.1 in 21 Days (2nd Edition)
Audience: Beginner Rating: 5 Laura Lemay and Charles L. Perkins
Sams.net Publishing, April 1997
ISBN 1575211424; $39.99 US
One of the easiest books to read, for the widest variety of audiences. There are several flavors of this book, for different Java platforms, but they are basically the same. The 2nd Edition contains alot of information on both JDK 1.0.2 and JDK 1.1, comparing each. [more...]

Other recent Java books, sorted alphabetically...

New!  Advanced Java 1.1 Programming
Audience: Advanced Rating: 4 Jeffrey C. Rice and Irving Salisbury III
McGraw-Hill, July 1997
ISBN 0-07-913089-5; 476 pages; $39.95 US
This book covers diverse topics that experienced Java programmers ask each other about! For example, questions that I see frequently in the internal IBM Java forum/newsgroup are answered in this book. Each chapter includes concrete examples of how to do these "tricks" that many Java programmers wonder how to do. If you need to do some of these specific things, or just want general Java reading beyond Java introductions, you'll appreciate this book. [more...]

Beginning Java
Audience: Beginner Rating: 4 Ivor Horton
WROX Press, June 1997
ISBN 1861000278; 1038 pages; $39.95 US
Covers Java 1.1, and is chock-full of useful information. Good, basic, from-the-ground-up detail that the beginning programmer will appreciate. Experienced programmers can skip the introductory chapters and detailed explanations. Could be used as a textbook in a class as it contains exercises at the end of each chapter. [more...]

The Comprehensive Guide to the JDBC SQL API
Audience: Beginner Rating: 3 Daniel I. Joshi
Ventana, February 1997
ISBN 1-56592-241-7; 600 pages; $44.95 US
Half the book introduces Java (as opposed to covering database information). Thus my so-so rating of this book--a hybrid of general Java and JDBC. The book includes an introductory chapter on SQL, and uses Microsoft SQL Server as its sample database engine.

Database Programming with JDBC and Java
Audience: Advanced Rating: 5 George Reese
O'Reilly, June 1997
ISBN 1-56592-270-0; 224 pages; $29.95 US
Covers JDBC and RMI, and also includes a good example of a Persistence Framework (a distinguishing feature of this book). It has reference listings for JDBC and most of RMI, and it has a short introduction to SQL. Overall, it's good, concise, and straight to the point.

Essential Java Fast: Writing Object-Oriented Software for the Internet in Java
Audience: Beginner Rating: 3 J. R. Cowell
Springer
ISBN 3-540-76052-0; 186 pages; $24.96 US
A brief, compact book that covers JDK 1.0.2. It makes a great reference for C++ programmers who have experience with other Event driven programming models (MFC, XWindows, etc.). The book has a few errors and typos, but nothing confusing. It looks like it may have been put together a bit too fast.

Exploring Java (2nd Edition)
Audience: Beginner Rating: 3 Pat Niemeyer and Josh Peck
O'Reilly, September 1997
ISBN 1-56592-271-9; 594 pages; $32.95 US
Calls itself a "comprehensive tutorial introduction" to Java, and claims to pay special attention to networking (but doesn't appear to do so more than other books.) Supposedly covers Java 1.1, but it's not really obvious. I couldn't find good distinctions between 1.0.2 and 1.1 in this book. The 1st Edition was reportedly not good for someone without C/C++ knowledge.

New!  Graphic Java 1.1 - Mastering the AWT (2nd Edition)
Audience: Advanced Rating: 3 David M. Geary
Sunsoft/Prentice-Hall
ISBN 0-13-863077-1; 875 pages; $49.95 US
This book covers both event models (1.0.2 and 1.1) in separate chapters, and includes nitty-gritty detail on the AWT. However, the author's GJT (Graphic Java Toolkit) spans over a third of the book, and I find that using his GJT is difficult when I just want to pull out one class. (I had the same opinion of the 1st edition of this book. I tend to dislike books that espouse their own class library; I prefer to learn more generic Java info.) But if you are looking for a class library to use, and like the one in the book, this book may be for you. New 1.1 stuff covered includes lightweight components, and clipboard and data transfer. For example, you'll find a very thorough discussion of GridbagLayout LayoutManager, with an interactive demo applet on CD to play with.

Inside Java
Audience: Beginner Rating: 3 Karanjit S. Siyan and James L. Weaver
New Riders, March 1997
ISBN 1-56205-664-6; 912 pages; $55.00 US
True to New Riders' reputation (in my book) of publishing books too fast (and including typos and errors), this was the first one I found that fully covered the 1.1 AWT event model and the new APIs in 1.1, such as JavaBeans, Java Web Server, JDBC, RMI, and Object Serialization. However, I do not recommend this book if you don't have experience with Java 1.0.; instead I'd recommend a more complete book. [more...]

Intelligent Java Applications for the Internet and Intranets
Mark Watson
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
ISBN 1-55860-420-0; 400 pages, $44.95 US
Admittedly, I've only skimmed this one in a bookstore (they haven't chased me out yet!), but I think it's good. It's essentially "Java meets Artificial Intelligence"--how to program many AI things in Java. This book takes several AI topics and covers them relatively thoroughly, with lots of Java examples (except for rule-based RETE pattern matching, my former AI life; oh well).

Java AWT Reference
John Zukowski
O'Reilly, April 1997
ISBN 1-56592-240-9; 1074 pages; $39.95 US
This 1st Edition does cover Java 1.1, but it's not a favorite of mine. Maybe it's the lack of bold-faced fonts, figures, and pictures that make the book hard to navigate. I believe a complete reference for the AWT needs lots of pictures, and this book has only a few. A colleague who spent considerable time with this book said he didn't like its examples (way too complicated), and the distinctions between Java 1.0 and 1.1 were not good. Another colleague agrees that the information should be more in-depth for an entire reference book devoted to the AWT.

Java Certification Exam For Programmers And Developers
Barry Boone
McGraw Hill, July 1997
ISBN 0-07-913657-5; 744 pages; $54.95 US
I've just begun reading this book, but I'm finding it hard to put down. The short sections, with quizzes, are intriguing. A CD-ROM includes the answers to the quizzes, all the book's source code, and Sun's Java Development Kit 1.1.1. I don't have any concrete details yet on how well this book actually prepares you for the exam.

Java Database Programming with JDBC
Audience: Beginner Rating: 5 Pratik Patel and Karl Moss
The Coriolis Group, September 1996
ISBN 1-57610-056-1; 500 pages; $39.99 US
This is my favorite JDBC book. It has a good brief introduction to SQL for novices, and then lots of explanation and examples of using JDBC. It also has a simple text-based database program that could be useful for testing with simple database info. It includes a CD-ROM. [more...]

Java 1.1 Developer's Handbook
Audience: Advanced Rating: 3 Philip Heller, et al.
Sybex, Inc.
ISBN 0-7821-1919-0; 1048 pages; $56.99 US
This large-print, hardback book is written by Sun Java Trainers. It's sort of a hybrid of JDK 1.1 and 1.0, but it seems like the 1.1 was rushed in at the last minute. However, it's very readable and thorough. It covers portability issues, and has a separate chapter on the 1.1 AWT changes. It also has chapters on Java Beans, RMI, JDBC, etc. Over a third of the book is just method prototypes and reference, without alot of explanation. You can get that explanation more easily from the API html files on Sun's Web site!

Java Developer's Reference
Audience: Advanced Rating: 5 Mike Cohn, et al.
Sams.net Publishing, October 1996
ISBN 1-57521-129-7; 1258 pages; $59.99 US
This book is for serious Java programmers. It's one of the two best Java reference books; the Java Class Libraries: An Annotated Reference is the other. It has a good MVC/Observer/Observable GUI discussion. That did it. I bought it. [more...]

Java Examples in a Nutshell
David Flanagan
O'Reilly, September 1997
ISBN 1-56592-371-5; 400 pages; $19.95 US
This book contains good examples that supplement its companion volume, the 2nd edition of Java in a Nutshell, plus many additional examples. The chapters are nicely organized by topic, with examples and descriptions for each. This book does distinguish between the 1.0 and 1.1 APIs, which is good. There's even an appendix in the back on JFC and Swing. Although the book says it's meant to be a companion to Java in a Nutshell, it is still interesting reading by itself if you already know Java or have another book to refer to for Java basics.

Java for Business: Using Java to Win Customers, Cut Costs, and Drive Growth
Audience: General Rating: 4 Thomas Anderson
Von Nostrand Reinhold, early 1997
ISBN 0-442-02517-3; 354 pages; $24.95 US
This book struck me as "Java from 30,000 feet"--a pleasant diversion from the technical tomes I'm usually immersed in. It has good case studies, showing how folks are actually using Java. And it gives some candid looks into the culture of the respective Java development shops. However, it is a bit dated (written before Java 1.1), and at times it reads like a commercial for the various companies that wrote the chapters about the technologies they've implemented. But overall, it's an interesting book. In fact, it sort of reminded me of why we're all here.

Java Fundamental Classes Reference
Audience: Advanced Not rated Mark Grand and Jonathan Knudsen
O'Reilly, May 1997
ISBN 1-56592-241-7; 1114 pages; $44.95 US
Provides complete reference documentation on the core Java 1.1 classes that make up the java.lang, java.io, java.net, java.util, java.text, java.math, java.lang.reflect, and java.util.zip packages. Tutorial-style chapters introduce each package, and then the other nine-tenths of the book is reference for these packages.

Java Network Programming
Elliotte Rusty Harold
O'Reilly, February 1997
ISBN 1-56592-227-1; 422; $34.95 US
I've just begun reading this book, which bills itself as a "complete introduction to developing network programs (both applets and applications) using Java." I can tell my rating will be high, because this book is well organized, well written, and hard to put down. It covers Java 1.1, and all aspects of basic network programming, all in one place!

Java 1.1 No Experience Required
Steven Holzner
Sybex
ISBN 0-7821-2083-0; $34.99 US
This is a very introductory book, as its title implies. It covers the base language only. No RMI/JDBC/JNI APIs are covered, and applications are mentioned very late in the book (which biases me against any book). You'll need another more thorough book once you learn Java.

New!  Java Software Solutions - Foundations of Programming Design
Audience: Beginner Not yet rated John Lewis and William Loftus
Addison-Wesley
ISBN 0-201-57164-1, 752 pages, $43.95 US
This book comes highly recommended by others as a "first course in programming using Java," which makes it one of the first on the scene that is appropriate for college level instruction. Appropriate for beginners, it includes a bit more OO and design information than the average Java book. It also includes a chapter on sorting and searching, and covers applets early "building on the excitement of the web." Each chapter includes exercises and programming projects. About a third of the book is reference and appendix.

Java Threads
Audience: Advanced Rating: 5 Scott Oaks and Henry Wong
O'Reilly, January 1997
ISBN 1-56592-216-6; 268 pages; $29.95 US
Covers Java 1.1. It is an excellent introduction for someone with little experience managing threads. [more...]

Java 1.1 Unleashed
Audience: Advanced Rating: 3 Michael Morrison, et. al.
Sams.net, 1997
ISBN 1-57521-298-6; 1469 pages; $59.99 US
The inaccuracies that I noticed in the horrendous 1st edition appear to have been fixed in this new edition. As in other Unleashed books, you'll find alot of information collected from a variety of authors. I prefer other 1.1 books, however, because their information is easier to find. However, if you are searching for something obscure, you may find it here.

Laura LeMay's Java 1.1 Interactive Course
Audience: Beginner Rating: 5 Laura Lemay, et al.
Waite Group Press, February 1997
ISBN 1-57169-083-2; 1192 pages; $49.99 US
I don't know where this book gets its title, but it does not cover Java 1.1! One chapter hints at 1.1 changes, but it does not go into much detail. It does include JDK 1.1 on its CD-ROM, however. This is a big book, very dense, with small print. I like most of Laura Lemay's books, but it looks like she should have waited until JDK 1.1 could really be described. The book attempts to integrate some material with a Web-based educational site (which is the "interactive" part).

Mastering Java 1.1
Laurence Vanhelsuwe, et al.
Sybex, Inc.
ISBN 0-7821-2079-9; 1048 pages; $49.99 US
The 2nd Edition of this book covers Java 1.1. It includes the new AWT Event model as well as chapters on Java OS, Serialization and RMI, Java Servlets, JavaBeans, JDBC, and JECF (Java Electronic Commerce Framework). In general, the book has broad but shallow coverage, and functions better as an introduction to Java than as a reference. A colleague who read this book says it's easy to read with good explanations and simple examples, but he wishes it had more realistic examples.

The NetRexx Language
Mike Cowlishaw
Prentice Hall, January 1997
ISBN 0-13-806332-X; 197 pages; $36.00 US
Question: What does NetRexx have to do with Java? Answer: The ability to compile from a familiar scripting-type computer language to Java class files, and then use them interchangeably with Java class files compiled from traditional Java source.
This book is a language reference book; it completely describes the NetRexx syntax. For more examples of how to use NetRexx and integrate with Java classes, explore the NetRexx home page.

Principles of Object Oriented Programming Using Java 1.1
Jim Cooper
Ventana, 1997
ISBN 1566045304, $39.99 US
I have not read this in depth, but a distinguishing feature of this book is that it covers the Design Patterns (required reading for understanding Object-Oriented programming) in Java.

New!  Programming with VisualAge for Java
Not yet rated Marc Carrel-Billard
Prentice Hall, February 1998
ISBN 0139113711, 400 pages; $49.95 US
This book is orderable, but not yet available. I'll put my review here as soon as I can get a copy to review.

Teach Yourself Java 1.1 Programming in 24 Hours
Audience: Beginner Rating: 4 Rogers Cadenhead
Sams.net, Inc.
ISBN 1-57521-270-6; 384 pages; $24.99 US
Very basic, but does (lightly) cover the AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit) 1.1 event model. No other chapters on Java 1.1 APIs. It provides a good novice programmer introduction to Java 1.1, but you'll need another book after you get started to cover more of the APIs and other issues. A good first book, it was the first truly introductory one to cover the AWT 1.1 event model.

Thinking in Java
Audience: Beginner Rating: 4 Bruce Eckel
Not published yet
734 pages (revision 10a)
This book will be published eventually, but for now it's available free online. Readers of this Web page have recommended it to me, and I agree that it's an excellent introduction to Java, and to object-oriented programming, for the novice. And you can't beat the price!

Tricks of the Java Programming Gurus
Audience: Advanced Rating: 4 Glenn Vanderburg et.al.
Sams.net, August 1996
ISBN 1-57521-102-5; 846 pages; $39.99 US
Covers Java 1.0.2, but I liked it so much I included it here. Hopefully they will update it soon. This book is not a tutorial, but it does contain many good but disjoint chapters on a variety of beyond-basic info about and related to Java. It has a chapter on JDBC that doesn't go into great detail but says more than other books around at the time. It has a pretty good description of javadoc, which is hard to find.

    -- Beth Tibbitts

The reviews in this section reflect the uncensored opinions of our reviewer, Beth Tibbitts, and do not represent the opinions of IBM or -- however hard we try -- the editors of this site. IBM shall have no liability or responsiblity for the content of these reviews.

Java Network Security
Published by Prentice Hall (ISBN 0-13-76529-9; IBM publication number SG24-2109-00), this book provides the first end-to-end blueprint for writing secure Java code--and for developing overall security policies that encompass Java development. Written by a team of IBM experts, this book gives managers and administrators all the tools and information they need to handle security risks, while leveraging the full benefits of Java executable content. (Authors: Robert Macgregor, Dave Durbin, John Owlett, Andrew Yeomans)
Java Sampler
This site offers six complete chapters from O'Reilly's Java in a Nutshell, Deluxe Edition. Java 1.1 topics include: JavaBeans, threads, security, understanding the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT), and image processing.
JavaBeans(TM) for Dummies
Find out what happens when Java joins with the latest revolution in software design, component-based programming. IBM software consultant, author, and Internet technology guru Emily A. Vander Veer explains in plain English what JavaBeans is, what it can do for you, and how you can develop Web applications by using beans you create yourself or get from others.
Java Books
Order from IBM's extensive library of Java books.


Related Links
 

Java Books Series

Other Java Book Web Sites



Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Other companies, products, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

Copyright    Trademark

IBM HomeOrderEmployment