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Reviewer: Arthur E. Salwin

It would be hard to find a more definitive source than this: it is co-authored by James Gosling, who developed the Java language. This second edition of the book brings it up to Java version 1.1, but in the fast-paced world of Java and the Internet, the next (and current) language revision (variously known as Java 1.2 or Java 2) became available around the same time as this text did. However, an online appendix covering the minor revisions to the core language brings the book up to date. Chapter 1 provides a quick snapshot of most language features. Subsequent chapters are devoted to individual features. Among those covered are objects, expressions, control flow, exceptions, parallel processing (threads), and I/O. The book is written clearly, in a straightforward, no-nonsense tone. It will probably appeal most to experienced programmers. Even Java programmers will appreciate the many asides that discuss how various language features are intended to be used and give guidance on when they should or should not be used. The major shortcomings are the examples: even though they are short programs illustrating particular language features, many are more complex than they need to be and tend to obscure the points being made. This excellent treatment of Java leaves the reader yearning for more. Topics that are most likely to interest new Java programmers—applets (mini-applications that run in a Web browser), graphics programming, and the Java event model—are not covered. Similarly, the online appendix does not cover the most important addition in the new version of the language, namely an extensive new application program interface (API) for graphics programming (Java Foundation Classes, Swing, Java2D, and so on). For these topics, as well as for other parts of Java's extensive API, the reader will have to turn to other books.