Learning Java - any book advice

englebart

I always liked Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckels/MindView. There used to be free e-books available. I am not sure if it is the best book for a first language book. There are multiple threads in the Lounge for intro to programming.

Amarnath S

Head First Java is a book with a number of pictures, and this makes it an interesting read, an introductory one.

Chris Grove

I was just about to post this as well. I have a few of the Headfirst books and I have found them all useful, they have a different teaching style to traditional 'dry' text books that I found refreshing.

Peter Shaw

Yes!!! Go look this guy up on Linked-In & Quora.com [Alan Mellor](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-mellor/) Then from there, find his Java Books, you won't be disapointed.

Julian Ragan

If I wanted to teach a newbie today, I would start with an interactive online tutorial like the one on W3Schools. Books are nice to have in case of internet failure, but especially to young "google it" folks they are a last resort.

Lost User

[Java in a Nutshell, 7th Edition [Book]](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/java-in-a/9781492037248/) A book you keep.

"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

Kirk 10389821

Out of curiosity is her goal to eventually become a developer using Java. Or is this to help her get past a single class? Or just to introduce her to programming? So, it boils down to understanding the Motivation and the Destination. I am HUGE on learning code from reading code. I had source code access to huge chunks of our old operating system. I was able to patch the binaries by hand to change how things worked from that knowledge. So, it's okay to have a code heavy book and let her breeze through the code, and try to guess what things do. But again, if her motivation is only to dip her toes into programming, to see. That changes the amount of effort and the depth of the task. This is always hard for us who are too deep into the topics.

RafagaX

I learned Java using Deitel books, (Java How to Program), so that's what i would recommend.

"Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn’t exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again." Ray Bradbury

Cp Coder

Many thanks to all who have responded! Thanks for your valuable advice. :-D

Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!

Cp Coder

It's to help her get through a single class. :)

Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!

Choroid

I have about 40 Java Books that were downloaded when you could find free books All have been scanned for malware with MS Security Essentials They are PDF format Happy to place the lot on a thumb drive and Snail Mail OR other option your your choice

Kirk 10389821

If that is the case (having taught a couple of college courses on Java)... 1) Have her practice by putting EVERY Example in the chapter into the computer and getting it to run! [Many of us teachers will use the examples to drive test questions] 2) If her exams will be on the computer (mine were, then she should also practice creating "Hello World" a few times, so she knows how to start a project in the platform, and make it work without "stressing") 3) Have her do all of her homework assignments twice! The second time, without looking at her first attempt. [This can really build her confidence, but it is just good practice, and practice makes perfect!] 4) She MUST pre-read the material the teacher is going to cover. She should have a list of every new word/phrase to her from the reading. She DOES NOT need to lookup/define them. She scans this list before class. And her brain will detect when the teacher is using it. [During the pre-reading is when I usually like students to do all of the examples] If she attacks it this way. She will be focused on REALLY learning what the class is covering (not getting confused by different levels of depth into various things). She is in "Acquisition Mode". She needs to learn to do PATTERN Recognition on the concepts/code/structure. Then Application Mode (How to modify/manipulate). I would rather her do EVERY problem in this book 3 times than crack another book, if it is just to pass this class. She doesn't need to learn Java. She needs to learn what this teacher is expecting her to understand after going through their course, and that is usually a function of the Lectures, Examples, And Homework assignments. My exams were open notes, open book. I would take 1 homework assignment, change it and add a flavor/essence from 2-3 of the other assignments that was teaching a specific concept. if the student could read that, start with the right homework problem, and TRULY understood the other concepts. They could finish in 30 minutes. I gave them 4 hrs. As long as the program compiled/ran, they could get partial credit. (A lot of my first students failed my class, but to the universities surprise, half of them took ME the next semester for the same class!!! When there was another teacher available at a similar time!) Like anything, Comfort and Repetition go a long way!

charlieg

Not to be an asshat - honest question. Does anyone develop in Java anymore other than the backend? To the OP, if your daughter is just getting her teeth into it - fine. Not commenting on that - code is code.

Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

Cp Coder

Thanks for your offer, but I believe one or two books is about all she can handle at this stage! :-D

Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!