BKCRJAV1.RVW   980621

"Core Java, Volume 1 - Fundamentals", Gary Cornell/Cay S. Horstmann,
1997, 0-13-766957-7, U$39.95/C$55.95
%A   Gary Cornell 75720.1524@compuserve.com
%A   Cay S. Horstmann
%C   One Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ   07458
%D   1997
%G   0-13-766957-7
%I   Prentice Hall
%O   U$39.95/C$55.95 +1-201-236-7139 fax: +1-201-236-7131
%P   630 p. + CD-ROM
%S   Java Series
%T   "Core Java, Volume 1 - Fundamentals"

Calling a six hundred page book an introduction sounds a bit like a
joke about German essays.  (Calling a two volume, thirteen hundred
page book an introduction is even worse.)  Still, that is what Cornell
and Horstmann have produced, and a very good introduction it is. 
Particularly if you have Windows 9x/NT, or Solaris, this package gives
you everything that you need to start working with Java--and working
properly.

The book is an introduction: it is not designed in a reference format. 
Those who go on to serious Java programming will likely want to look
at a guide such as Flanagan's "Java in a Nutshell" (cf. BKJAVANS.RVW),
but "Core Java" is definitely the place to start learning the
language.  Unlike all too many other Java texts, this one does not
automatically assume that you know C, C++, and object-oriented
programming.  That fact alone makes it a first class choice for those
budding Webmasters who want to get in on the Java game.  The
background and concepts behind the language are explained, as well as
the necessary commands and syntax to get started.  Object-orientation
is presented and explained very clearly.

Experienced programmers are not left out.  Icons indicate special tips
for those who have worked with C++ and Visual Basic.  The text can
therefore be rapidly skimmed when a programmer is practiced in coding
already.

The earlier two editions of "Core Java" have been in a single volume. 
This edition splits the material into two.  This volume, the
fundamentals, is still the basic introduction.  It covers a
description of Java, the Java programming environment, basic
programming structures, objects and classes, inheritance, interfaces,
graphics, event handling, user interface components, applets, data
structures, and exceptions and debugging.  These are, indeed, the
fundamentals, and enough to get started with the language.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996-98   BKCRJAV1.RVW   980621