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Book Review: Java in a Nutshell (4th Edition) by David FlanaganDiscuss this article >>>
Java In A Nutshell (Fourth Edition)
By David Flanagan, published by O'Reilly 2002
Java in a Nutshell is a quick-reference guide for Java programmers. It contains
an accelerated introduction to the Java language, as well as a description of the core APIs.
This is the only book that I have bought four times! I find it so much a part of my everyday
programming that I have bought every edition since the first one was published in 1996.
I think that whether you use this book as much as me depends on you and the way that you
prefer to work, rather than on the book itself. The book does exactly what it is says, and it
does it well - it provides a concise description of the language and a description of the core
APIs. Some people prefer a longer, more detailed description of the language that provides
more examples than this book can possibly offer. Others might feel that the descriptions of the
APIs offer little more (and sometimes less) than the JavaDoc which can easily be downloaded as
HTML and browsed online. They have a point - I regard Sun's JavaDoc as the definitive
guide, but still find myself flicking through the pages of my Java In A Nutshell
first because:
- old habits die hard
- it's reassuring to have a hard copy of the APIs in your hand
- it's easier to leave a book open on a page on your desk, ready for further reference,
than to use valuable screen space to keep online documentation visible at the equivalent place
And I really do use the language reference too. Whenever a question
about the Java language arises, I find myself reaching for this book, either to find
the answer, or to satisfy myself that my intuition was correct, or to provide a more precise
explanation than the one that I was able to give.
If you work with a reference book in preference to online documentation, and you program Java,
then this book is a must!
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Discuss this article >>>
Simon White
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