Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach - Java Programming Book for Beginners | Learn Coding Fundamentals for Web & App Development

As a college senior, I've had to read many textbooks; some painful, some not. This book is by far one of the best I have used. In fact, while I have been using Amazon's review services for my own purchases for many years, I haven't felt the compulsion to write a review. This is the first book to compel me to do so. It's an excellent book with few typos and a conversational style.If you are just beginning to learn Java and haven't had any experience with OOP (Object Oriented Programming), I believe this book takes the right approach. It's a very up-to-date treatment of the basics of the language, and like the cover implies, builds the wall brick-by-brick. You'll learn the components of Java in an order that is easy to follow, the progression to more advanced topics being just about as natural as possible.One idea that this book emphasized that others I have read did not (very well), is handling common programing errors. From the get-go, the authors stress how important it is to catch your programming errors as you go along, encouraging the construction of more robust (although still very rudimentary) programs.In my opinion, this book has a very "let's teach Java how it is practiced" approach. It's very, very practical in the examples it uses and the problems it gives in the back of each chapter. There is also a case study at the end of each chapter that is unique to that chapter, covering the concepts highlighted.For Students: If you've already had some experience in programming Java, this text might be a bit inadequate because it emphasizes the basics -- perhaps it would be a good reference text (although I'd encourage using Sun's online service). If you're brand new to the language, this is the book to get.For Professors: PLEASE teach with this book. It not only helped me learn Java, it helped me appreciate it. A text book can easily make or break a student's interest in a subject; this book will definitely encourage interest.