Java
in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference, 2nd Edition,
by
David Flanagan, O’Reilly & Assoc. 1997. A compact summary of the
online documentation of Java 1.1.
Personally, I prefer to browse the docs online, especially since they change so
often. However, many folks still like printed documentation and this fits the
bill; it also provides more discussion than the online documents.
The
Java Class Libraries: An Annotated Reference,
by
Patrick Chan and Rosanna Lee, Addison-Wesley 1997. What the online reference
should
have been: enough description to make it usable. One of the technical reviewers
for
Thinking
in Java
said, “If I had only one Java book, this would be it (well, in addition
to yours, of course).” I’m not as thrilled with it as he is.
It’s big, it’s expensive, and the quality of the examples
doesn’t satisfy me.
But
it’s a place to look when you’re stuck and it seems to have more
depth (and sheer size) than
Java
in a Nutshell
.
Java
Network Programming
,
by Elliote Rusty Harold, O’Reilly 1997. I didn’t begin to
understand Java networking until I found this book. I also find his Web site,
Café au Lait, to be a stimulating, opinionated, and up-to-date
perspective on Java developments, unencumbered by allegiances to any vendors.
His almost daily updating keeps up with fast-changing news about Java. See
http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/.
Core
Java
,
3nd
Edition
,
by Cornell & Horstmann, Prentice-Hall 1997. A good place to go for
questions you can’t find the answers to in
Thinking
in Java
.
Note: the Java 1.1 revision is
Core
Java 1.1 Volume 1 – Fundamentals
&
Core
Java 1.1 Volume 2 – Advanced Features
.
JDBC
Database Access with Java
,
by Hamilton, Cattell & Fisher (Addison-Wesley, 1997). If you know nothing
about SQL and databases, this is a nice, gentle introduction. It also contains
some of the details as well as an “annotated reference” to the API
(again, what the online reference should have been). The drawback, as with all
books in The Java Series (“The ONLY Books Authorized by JavaSoft”)
is that it’s been whitewashed so that it says only wonderful things about
Java – you won’t find out about any dark corners in this series.
Java
Programming with CORBA
Andreas Vogel & Keith Duddy (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). A serious
treatment of the subject with code examples for the three main Java ORBs
(Visibroker, Orbix, Joe).
Design
Patterns
,
by Gamma, Helm, Johnson & Vlissides (Addison-Wesley 1995). The seminal book
that started the patterns movement in programming.
UML
Tookit
,
by Hans-Erik Eriksson & Magnus Penker, (John Wiley & Sons, 1997).
Explains UML and how to use it, and has a case study in Java. An
accompanying
CD-ROM contains the Java code and a cut-down version of Rational Rose. An
excellent introduction to UML and how to use it to build a real system.
Practical
Algorithms for Programmers
,
by Binstock & Rex (Addison-Wesley 1995). The algorithms are in C, so
they’re fairly easy to translate into Java. Each algorithm is thoroughly
explained.
H