BKJAVALR.RVW   981024

"Java Language Reference", Mark Grand, 1997, 1-56592-326-X,
U$32.95/C$46.95
%A   Mark Grand mgrand@mindspring.com
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   1997
%G   1-56592-326-X
%I   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
%O   U$32.95/C$46.95 800-998-9938 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104
nuts@ora.com
%P   492 p.
%T   "Java Language Reference, second edition"

This book is definitely intended for the experienced Java programmer. 
Looking at the syntax and lexical structure of the language with
formal methods that stop just short of the language specification, it
gives the reader the internals of Java.  This allows for more precise
use of classes and methods, and, particularly, those not used on a
regular basis.

While the book does not have the tutelary excellence of "Core Java"
(cf. BKCRJAV1.RVW, BKCRJAV2.RVW), Grand is perhaps too hard on himself
when he says that the book is not intended to teach Java.  Certainly
some experience programmers have been able to teach themselves Java
from references such as "Java in a Nutshell" (cf. BKJAVANS.RVW), so
this tome should be a piece of cake.  The author's use of "railroad
diagrams based on BNF (Backus-Naur Form) gives the syntactical
elements a good deal of clarity and precision; definitely for those
who have used it before.  On the other hand, Grand's explanation of
object-orientation is terse at best, so it might be best to say that
experienced object-oriented programmers should find this a useful
introduction.

Topics covered include an introduction, lexical analysis, data types,
expressions, declarations, statements and control structures, program
structures, threads, exception handling, the java.lang package, and an
appendix on the Unicode character set.

For the serious programmer, an essential tool.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997, 1998   BKJAVALR.RVW   981024