Thinking in Java

Thinking in Java

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06  ·  rating details  ·  512 ratings  ·  28 reviews
""Thinking in Java" should be read cover to cover by every Java programmer, then kept close at hand for frequent reference. The exercises are challenging, and the chapter on Collections is superb! Not only did this book help me to pass the Sun Certified Java Programmer exam; it's also the first book I turn to whenever I have a Java question."
"--Jim Pleger, Loudoun County (...more
Paperback, 1482 pages
Published February 10th 2006 by Prentice Hall PTR (first published February 19th 1998)
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Java in a Nutshell by David FlanaganThinking in Java by Bruce EckelBig Java by Cay S. Horstmann
JAVA
1st out of 3 books — 2 voters


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Steven Dunn
I've previously done some tutoring out of Eckel's Thinking in C++, which I had mixed feelings about, but I had heard so many good things about Thinking in Java that I decided to take the chance, since I need to learn Java for a new job. It's no better. The fundamental issue is that, for all its strengths (especially in the beginning when Mr. Eckel starts right in with OO design as the basis for thinking about programming) the book ultimately gets bogged down in its own technical minutiae and tri...more
Jonathan
This book suffers from the same problem that many computer science books have. It seems that Eckel believes that learning a programming language should be completed on an exponential curve.

0 - basic... "This is a a variable" type stuff.
10 - this is how you make a function.
100 - you need to develop classes in this manner
1000 - when you're calling from the stack...

I know that one should have some computer science background when reading this book, however it seems to me that one should either star...more
Salvatore
While the book is old and not up to date on the newest versions of the Java programming language, this was (and in many ways still is) the go to book for learning Java. Well written and a pleasure to read. And worthwhile as a reference source for someone new to Java.
Said A
That's the first book I read to learn more about Java programming language. After a little research I found that this book was among the "must read"'s for Java developers. Good insights, to the point and no unnecessary clutter text...
Cristian
Not as good as I'd hoped. It definitely scores points for completeness and accuracy, but I do not feel that the material is presented in a very beginner-friendly way. If you are just starting out with Java, this is an okayish book but not the best.
Aaron M
Bruce Eckel really nails it. I'm not a fan of Java, but when I need to brush up this is the book i turn to. It really does encourage you to think in Java. Which somehow is different than just thinking like a programmer. HA!
João Fernandes
Too slow on basic concepts. So if you join that with the fact that just the size of the book is scaring enough... I just felt that the book was never able to motivate me. That said, sometimes is a good reference.
Denis
Книгу не сразу понял, но продолжал ее изучать.
Когда же дошел до середины, осознал всю прелесть ее изложения. И простоту примеров, их понятность и то, как излагаются основные концепции языка.

Вся книга построена на описании реализации концепций ООП на языке java. И делается это очень лаконично и красиво!
Must have!
Arnauld
"The" place to start with if you want to learn the Java programming language. Bruce does not only teach you a language, but also tries to inculcate the 'philosophy' and good practices of Java.
Mike G
A favorite Java book. Eckel provides a wide view of the language and how best to use it. His design patterns are thorough and I like the chapter on concurrency the best.
Burak Dede
if you come from background of c/c++ like procedural langauage this is the book gives you the insight of java.
Matteo
Good to beginners, not enough for more advanced techniques. Anyway a good book to start Java Programming
Andrew Vasilev
This is a good book. I would recommend it as a first java book you should read
Manoj Kumar
Bruce Eckel continues to amaze as always
Anandh
Apr 11, 2011 Anandh added it
thinking java is good enough to survive
Akshay Ahuja
the best book on core java i have read.
Lasha
Aug 07, 2012 Lasha added it
კარგია
Rachel
Not awful, but the (free) Sun tutorials are just as good and much more up to date.
Josh Hamacher
I'm giving this book four stars despite not having read it cover-to-cover. It's a massive tome; doing so would be impractical. But as a reference it can't be beat. I've found answers to most of my questions about Java in this book. My usual workflow:

1. Google my question.
2. Read a couple web pages.
3. If those don't make sense (which is often the case), consult this book. Often I can find clear, concise answers and advice.
Ben Seymour
Feb 06, 2007 Ben Seymour rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: New Java programmer
Shelves: it
I read this for the first time when I had been programming in Java for about 9 months, and I really wished I had read it on day 1. (It was an earlier version that I read at this time).
The author has the confidence to make it freely available online, and know that people will still go out and buy it, even if it is just by way of a thankyou.
Maciek Zalewski
If you want to learn Java, this book is for you. This is probably the best book about the language (at least that's what I've heard ;)). However, maybe that's because of translation (I've read it in Polish), sometimes the book was really difficult to read and understand.
Bill Hayes
Just getting into chapter 2, but I really like his discussion of Java's features, especially compared to C and C++.
Alessandro Puzielli
Very useful!

It's a fantastic book for understand the logic of Java and OO programming
Dmytro
nice book
not so structured as famous SCJP book - but with own strong point
Travis
Great content. Very hard to read example code.
Dedy Mayor Sipayung
Lenkap dan contohnya lumayan mudah dimengerti
Rustam
Eckel is a humble master.
Mohan Patel
May 23, 2013 Mohan Patel marked it as to-read
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