macOS Good Java books?

[yg17]

I just got re-hired by the same company I had an internship with last summer for another one this summer. Last time, I was doing software analysis and wasn't actually coding, I was doing stuff like Q&A testing, requirements analysis, etc. This summer, I'll actually be coding and in Java. It's been a few semesters since I last touched Java, so I'm a bit rusty, and my single Java class never went into a whole lot of detail.

I'm looking for a good book that I can read before I start there in June so I can brush up on my knowledge. I'm no n00b to programming, I've done some C++, and I'm very good at PHP, so I don't need some book like Java for Dummies that's going to spend half of the book explaining the basics of programming. I just want something that I can read to expand my knowledge of Java. And examples in the book I can work through are pretty much a must, I don't learn by reading, I learn by doing.

Thanks

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

I don't think I can say this enough, so read it carefully:
0. LEARN TO READ JAVADOC.
1. LEARN TO WRITE JAVADOC.

If you're even a half-decent OO programmer, being able to read and write JavaDoc will, in most environments, improve your productivity and efficiency by leaps and bounds.

That said, pick up a copy of Effective Java and read it. Study the examples and wholly understand them. Aside from that, have a copy of the Core Java books (Vol 1. and Vol 2.) on your desk at all times.

EDIT: It may not hurt to pick up a copy of "Java for Dummies" or something similar, just to make sure you understand the fundamentals of the language. For example -- With a background in C or C++, you might struggle with the absence of pointers and not wholly understand the fact that "everything is a reference" in Java. The "Dummies" book may help solidify that.

 

[bronxbomber92]

I've never read this book, but I'v heard A LOT of people recommend these books: http://mindview.net/Books/TIJ/

That's the free third edition, and the fourth edition isn't free.

 

[bousozoku]

There is a thread on this somewhere here but two very useful books on my list are:

• Java in a Nutshell
• Thinking in Java

There are others but they're more specialised.