Question: What Java books do you recommend for beginners?
There are certainly many Java books available these days.
We typically recommend any of the following books for new
developers:
- Core Java - Volume 1, Fundamentals
Horstmann and Cornell
The Sunsoft Press Java Series
(Very thorough, fairly easy to read.)
- Java by Example
Jackson and McClellan
The Sunsoft Press Java Series
(Good if you already know another language
and want to try to learn Java by example.)
- Instant Java
John A. Pew
The Sunsoft Press Java Series
(Can be good if you want to use the pre-written
applets available on the CD.)
- Java Certification Exam Guide
Barry Boone
McGraw-Hill
(Not necessarily for newbies, but a great resource
if you want to prepare to take the Java exams.)
These are just a few books we have in our libraries
that we think can be appropriate for new developers.
In general, it's probably obvious that we've really
enjoyed the series of books developed by Sunsoft Press.
If you want to learn Java - and not Microsoft's J++
implementation of Java - we recommend avoiding most J++
books. They can introduce features not available in
Pure Java (TM), which we personally don't
support. (Keep in mind that this is just our
opinion.)
Other good books are certainly out there. We also
usually like the Teach Yourself ... in 21 Days
series of books.
