Howdy Maggie,
That's *definitely* an errata--you can't call getEJBObject() from ejbCreate(), because the Container doesn't know the primary key value until *after* ejbCreate() completes, and it needs that value before it can make the EJBObject.
I REALLY thank you for going so *easy* on us for the errors in this first printing... it definitely has, well, "glitches" as you euphimistically call them
With Head First
Java and Head First EJB, they represent the first books of this type, and they aren't produced through any normal publishing process--they are more or less hand-built and graphic, so even things like running them through spell-checkers are virtually impossible. We are trying something completely different to improve the process for our next books, but that doesn't help with EJB.
So, we just hired someone to build a master document of the HFEJb errata, to make it much much easier to figure out. This document will take care of everything that is on the O'Reilly errata, confirm the unconfirmed, etc. and be much easier to read. And the next printing will have all the corrections made. The guy working on this is someone many of you know, because we found him here... Keith Rosenfield. We picked him because, well, he's the pickiest person we found, and has been perhaps the most vocal, um, *complainer* (in a good way

) because he wanted to be very careful in his studies. He recently passed with a 95%, so his persistence paid off.
Anyway, once again, thank-you Maggie for being so tolerant. I'll post here the MOMENT the revised errata document is complete. Should be very soon.
In the meantime, cheers and good luck,
Kathy