Java Black Book

By Steven Holzner

A great reference tool-jam-packed with easily accessible information. Provides programming tips on a variety of topics including variables, arrays, and operators; conditionals and loops; object-oriented programming; inheritance and inner classes; and packages and interfaces. Also includes Swing user interface coverage updated to reflect new classes and enhancements as well as labels, buttons, choosers, lists, combo boxes, progress bars, sliders, pluggable look and feel, and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 193211100X
• ISBN13: 9781932111002
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Paraglyph Press
• Length: 1192 Pages
• Weight: 4.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 2.4" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

cover almost every you needed in java

Thank you. This book rocks. it covers almost all the stuff that i need from work.

Great Reference Book

This book was hard to track down but I did manage to find one on the west coast. It was worth every penny spent on it. Great reference book to turn to when you are just needing a refresher or even better if it is a completely new subject for you to learn. 5 stars plus!!!

A very good book

I am a c++ programmer that was suddenly given a very large java assignment out of the blue. I saw this book on sale for $5 at the local borders and am very glad that I bought it.The book uses a running dialog between a novice programmer and you(an experienced programmer) as the start of each section. While it is kind of corny, it does work out well. I didn't bother with the first couple of chapters as they cover basic programming, but instead I went striaght to the AWT and Swing sections. Each chapter covered it's stated area well enough that I could start working after looking over the code examples and skimming the text. When the auther modifies previous code, it is highlighted which makes life a lot easier.The book is over 1100 pages and includes two bonus chaperts on the companion cdrom. All in all, this is a great book for someone who is new to java.

Java 2 Black Book

I have only one basis for comparison for this book, but what I do know is that it is easy to read and comprehend, and written for people who have or haven't had experience with Java programming before. I compared its ease-of-reading to Sun Microsystems' Course Technology "Java Programming" book by Joyce Farrell, which assumes too much knowledge from its readers and is much less referencable. This book is a great way to get started learning Java 2 as well as learn how to solve advanced programming problems.

One of the Best, But Not for the Complete Novice

This book stands out among introductory Java 2 books. Each chapter includes an "In Depth" section that covers a specific topic, followed by an "Immediate Use" section that walks you through some real-world hypotheticals based on the topic just covered. I found this approach not only unique, but very readable, even when not sitting in front of the PC. The author's writing style is accessible and clear, and even if I couldn't quite follow something, I found that my questions were answered within a few pages if I just kept on reading.The author claims that his goal was to fit as much Java into a single book as possible, at at 1200 or so pages, it's hard to doubt him. I have read several introductory Java books, and found this the most comprehensive and user-friendly. I will say that, having read some other books first, this material was really easy for me -- this might not be the case for someone who picks this up as a very first Java book. Still, I suspect that this, coupled with Sun's online tutorial "trails," should be enough for anyone serious about a course of self-study.Comparing this with others I've read, I'd say it's much easier reading than the excellent Core Java or Ivor Horton's Beginning Java 2, but much more comprehensive and sophisticated than Java Programming for Dummies, SAMS Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days, or Sun's official The Java Tutorial (A Short Course on the Basics). I must also say that I preferred this to Deitels' Java 2 How to Program, although I have not seen the new 4th edition, which is supposed to be a substantial reworking.Another book to supplement this one is Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java, which provides a much more thoughtful presentation of object-oriented programming with Java. In short, you really can't go wrong with this book, although if you are completely new to programming, you might require at least one additional very introductory text.