A long time fan of O'Reilly books, the CD bookshelves and this deluxe edition are one of the best ideas I've seen from a publisher. If you don't mind reading onscreen these will save you money. If you do pick this up in addition to the hardcopy simply for the search capabilities. A great reference tool from any serious programmer.

I've read the first 4 chapters as my introduction to Java. It was a struggle, but worth it.

I'm now taking a college class and find Java a slippery beast to get one's hands around. Our text introduces snidbits that create so many unanswered questions my head swims. Reading these chapters layed a great foundation for understanding where Java's creators are coming from and why.

There were many very insightful tips that lifted some very dense fog for me. He builds one's knowledge from the ground up. If you manage to get through it (ie: you have had lots of prior programming experience and about 5 days to read 165 pages) you are left with a pretty good idea of why the syntax and practices are the way they are. I'm sure other books are equally insightful, but this one sure says a lot in only a few words.

Buy this book if you like to know that each sentence was written because the author had something to convey, not just because he wants another crack at clearing up the confusion he just created. Mr Flanagan (the author of Nutshell) says it crystal clear the first time. (note: He does bother to repeat a few very important concepts, but its rare).

The remainder of the book is a library reference of selected Java packages. I'm not sure the usefulness of the list other than to see the headers and method signatures that are available. I would liken it to having a pocket dictionary - sometimes its all you need and sometimes the definition isn't useful and you have to break out the Webster.

However, the presentation in the initial 8 chapters is so outstanding that I would give it 5+ stars if allowed. This is where to find the magical explanation to clear the smoke.

it is much better to use a jdk documentation which you can download instead of this reference book.

JAVA IN A NUTSHELL (THIRD EDITION) is one of those computer science books that I had always been told was excellent. Professors, friends and co-workers all recommended it to me so many times that I eventually bought it soon after I began programming in Java. Having used this book as a reference on numerous occasions, I must say that it doesn't quite live up to its hallowed reputation, although it does have a number of positive points in its favour.

The opening few chapters of the book are really good at setting the stage for the beginning Java programmer. While it probably isn't simple enough for someone who is a complete newcomer to the language, it is excellent for people who already know a little bit and require more information. The sections on Java syntax are quite thorough and understandable. The Object Oriented Programming portions are readable and informative, without bogging the reader down with endless detail. The background information on Java (the structure, the way methods/variables work, the flow of programs, etc) is all handled brilliantly. Part One of this book is definitely something you'll want to treasure.

Part Two, the bulk of the book (Chapters 9 though 29, and covering a staggering three hundred, seventy-six out of six hundred, forty-eight pages), is devoted to what is referred to as the "API Quick Reference". It's the self-proclaimed "real heart" of the text. Unfortunately, this is the portion where the book really falls flat. What David Flanagan has done is to go through the most common Java packages/classes/APIs and cut them down to a bare listing of all their methods, exceptions, hierarchies, etc. While this covers a broad amount of information, it does not cover it deeply at all. I agree with his choice of most-used APIs, but he doesn't go in to nearly enough detail about them. Almost all of the methods are given no description; they're just named. If you are using this to look up the precise spelling/capitalization of your favourite methods, then this will do nicely. However, if you're curious as to what each method actually does, you won't find any enlightenment here. When one boils down the Java documentation this far, one finds that there really isn't much left at all. Certainly nothing that's actually useful.

The first part of this book is first rate. It's easy to understand, well-organized and great for beginners learning the language as well as for experienced programmers who require reference material. The second part of the book is not so good. For any detailed information you require, you'll find yourself forced to consult other sources (probably Sun's own API specifications which are available for free on their webpage). Make sure you know what you're buying. The first half of this nutshell is excellent, but you'll need something else to go with it to have a completely worthwhile reference.

Avoid this book. Although there is no indication on the cover, it completely skips major sections of the language, such as everything pertaining to Sql and databases. It is organized around package names, which makes it difficult to look anything up. The index is incomplete and doesn't indicate what pages classes are actually defined on.(...)