Murach's Beginning Java 2, JDK 5
Of course "Murach's Beginning Java 2, JDK 5" presents all of the important new features of Java 5.0 (also known as version 1.5), but here are the four reasons that I believe this is the beginning Java book you should buy first!1. The first six chapters get you off to a fast start. By the time you complete these chapters, you’ll be writing bulletproof, object-oriented applications with business classes and objects. These chapters work well for the complete beginner. But they also get the experienced developer up-to-speed fast.2. The class summaries throughout the book help you master the Java API and save you hours of research. Although most books present dozens of coding examples that illustrate the use of some Java classes, they don’t try to summarize all of the classes, constructors, and methods that you’ll use the most. Our book does both. For instance, to learn how to use the new LinkedList class, you’ll first see a summary of its primary constructors and methods. Then, you’ll see coding examples that show you how you can apply those constructors and methods. This can save you hundreds of hours of research over the course of the book.3. Our unique paired pages method of presentation makes our book work better for both training and reference. If you haven’t ever used one of our books before, maybe you should download chapter 1 or 2 to see how our "paired pages"—with explanation and perspective on the left page and essential details and coding examples on the right page—work. First, the "paired pages" help you learn faster because you read less. Second, they provide the best reference format that there is. That’s so important with a language like Java because no one can remember the details of its hundreds of classes, constructors, and methods.4. Chapters 7 and 8 show you how to use inheritance, polymorphism, and interfaces in a way that is both practical and understandable. You won’t find any toy applications or cat and dog objects in these chapters. Instead, you’ll study practical applications that show you how to use inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, type-safe enumerations, and the factory pattern. This at last takes the mystery out of object-oriented programming. And we just haven’t seen this done right in any other book.