John,
Here's my 2 cents.
1. Don't let the title fool you re: the
thread which I started re: "Learning OO Concepts and Java 2 for Mainframe developers" - many people offered some really good ideas. I created the same thread in the Sun beginners forum and got additional good ideas.
2. Having said that, here's what I have discovered...
a. Thinking in Java - highly praised but IMHO not for the real beginner. Probably very good and even has some CD's ($40 US per CD, I believe) that accompany the book.
b. Look at the "1's and 2's" on the amazon sites, etc. for the book reviews. These are the people who did not like the book for some reason and I find their input even more helpful for me to decide if I want to consider purchasing the book. Sometimes, the 1's and 2's are ridiculous statements which gives the book an even higher "grade". Otherwise, you'll spend so much time analyzing books that you'll get analysis paralysis.
c. So that you don't break the bank, absolutely look into the used book vendors from amazon and other places. I have done remarkably well stocking up a library for my company. Sometimes the books have a big sticker on the back of it but no highlighting. At 25% of the book price, I can live with the sticker! Also, if the books turns out to not work out so well, you won't feel so bad if you donate it to the library or use it as a door stopper, etc.
d. And, now, here's the books I would recommend for Java 2 (notice, not just 1 because I have not found that 1 author covers all the concepts clearly or in the order that I think works best for our staff):
=====>1. Java Programming for the Beginning - KN King
=====>2. Core Java 2 - Vol 1 - Fundamentals - Cay Horstmann
=====>3. Java 2 A Beginner's Guide - Herbert Schildt
=====>4. Java for the COBOL Programmer - E Reed Doke (I wouldn't bother with this book if you're not from the COBOL world)
=====>For OO, I've been using: Applying UML and
Patterns - Craig Larman and am looking into some other books
I hope this gives you a good start. Good Luck with your educational pursuit and let us know how it works out!
Janet
[ August 06, 2002: Message edited by: Janet Wilson ]