Leaving aside for the moment the market viability of WebObjects/Java as a web application platform, this is an excellent book on the topic. It covers the entire WebObjects/Java application development platform. Illustrations are used effectively and kept to a minimum, code is not overused and the exposition text is easy to read and focused. The book is introductory in nature, it's not a reference work for the platform.

I recommend this book to anyone looking into the platform or for those that are actively using it. I don't think it exposes enough of the architecture to provide insights into the design of WebObjects/Java as a web development platform for architectural design purposes.

The Apple-provided WebObjects documentation is sufficient to get developers started, but it barely scratches the surface of the WebObjects frameworks. Practical WebObjects takes you beyond the tutorials and explains features, implementation details and best practices that will make you a more effective WebObjects developer. The two chapters on Enterprise Objects alone would justify the purchase of this book -- and EOF is one of the more thoroughly treated frameworks in Apple's documentation. The material in Chapter 6: The Secret Life of Components is essential stuff that, frankly, I haven't seen covered adequately anywhere else.

When I saw the pre-announcement of this book on Omni's WebObjects-dev mailing list I had very high expectations. (Chuck Hill is a frequent contributor to the mailing list and a recognized authority there.) I pre-ordered my copy as soon as Amazon had it listed. I have not been dissappointed. Highly recommended to anyone working with WebObjects.