

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. I have read several introductory Java books, and found this the most comprehensive and user-friendly.

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 found this approach not only unique, but very readable, even when not sitting in front of the PC. 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. This book stands out among introductory Java 2 books.
