I used other books like Professional Java Server Programming and wasted three days and with Marty's book I was able to finish everything within two days. Mr. Hall's book is a comprehensive explanation of servlet and JSP technologies. It starts with the basics concepts and walks the reader all the way through to the more difficult concepts. I agree with the other 5 star reviews. The material is well organized, the sequence of topics is appropriate and easy to follow.
Examples are clear and useful.
The author has a knack for explaining the essence of the technology and then presenting details in examples that further develop his ideas. This is one awesome book on servlets and JSPs. Honestly, I didn't have any prior experience or knowledge in Java, but entering the world of Java through servlets and JSPs is actually refreshing. This book really helped me alot, and it's definitely a great buy. It's really worthy to be in my computer books collection.