Ground-Up Java

This one-of-a-kind book teaches beginning programmers how to use the fastest-growing programming language, Java. In addition to learning the core Java language, you will also acquire a broad understanding of vital programming concepts, including variables, control, memory, indirection, compilation, and calling. Best-selling Java book author and popular Java University educator Philip Heller understands what you need to learn and knows how best to convey it. The companion CD includes animated, interactive games for each chapter that illustrate key concepts and give you deeper insights into the workings of Java.

User review
Not for a beginner.
I recently read Beginning Programming in Java for Dummies by Barry Burd. That was a great book for a beginner,,,,.this book is not. I was going to try to make it through the first 100 pages before looking to another book, but I've fallen about 30 pages short of that. Nothing is explained well in this book and it seems like he is introducing aspects of Java that don't belong in an introductory book. He succeeds in confusing more than instructing. Should've spent the money on something else, and I'm certainly not wasting any more time on it.

User review
Excellent primer, and pretty darn good as a review tool too!
I recently finished my first semester in Java. My instructor is something of a superstar in the Java world; I learned a lot, and thought I was doing well in the class.

Then I got this book.

WOW! I realized what I was MISSING in class. Besides having some cool (if sometimes not completely relevant or even illuminating) animated illustrations on CD, Heller covers all the stuff your teachers in class WON'T tell you. Like, why you will copy object references, rather than the objects themselves. Or what in the heck exceptions REALLY are. (They're a class like anything else,,. something that WASN'T apparent in my class.)

This is a tremendous book for people who want to learn Java from the very beginning. Plus, it's a pretty fun read too. For those who are learning it already, it's good at covering what you probably missed.

User review
Informative & helpful
The book has been a great help in my study of java programming, and programming in general. I don't have much time to study nowadays, and it has been easy enough to take it with me and absorb as I have time. I had taken an intro to programming course years ago and thought I knew much of what I needed, but the book introduced me to some things I didn't know that I didn't know. It's been my primary source of study, and I definitely recommend it.

User review
Great from cover to cover
An outstanding intro for non-programmers. The book starts out with an explanation of what a computer IS, not just what it does. I especially liked the animated illustrations, which let me experiment with the language and see `cartoons` that explained the results.

User review
Descriptive and friendly
I picked this book up when I was just eleven. I heard about java and I really wanted to learn it. The first book I got about Java (Sam's teach yourself,,.) was harsh and difficult to understand.

Ground up Java starts out with computer basics, then how computer languages work and goes step by step into Java. The descriptions and animations (on CD) were helpful to understand concepts easier. The stories about the author were fun and helpful. My favorite part was Chapter Eleven where the author gives the analogy of a runtime exception being like turning to page 1963 or to -47 in a book of only 500 pages.

Ground Up Java was the best book I found to get me started in Java. I am starting `Complete Java 2 Certification` soon for more learning.