the typicall suspects: Flowler, GoF, ... It looks like this may become a major resource on patterns. Wikipedia provides a good starting point for patterns: Design pattern . http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/Javapedia/Patterns www.exciton.cs.rice.edu/JavaResources/DesignPatterns/default.htm - Good descriptions of many design patterns. http://www.artima.com/lejava/articles/gammadp.html How to use Design Patterns , Erich Gamma is interviewed by Bill Venners. www.patternscentral.com