5 best java programming books

For nearly a decade Java has continued to be one of the most popular programming languages. Java is extensively used for the back-end infrastructure of business applications, web applications, and embedded systems. It is the building block of Android and continues to evolve as a foundation with the introduction of new features and versions, the latest being Java 8.

Beginners may be intimidated by the complexity of Java, but learning the basics, taking one step at a time will definitely help them ace Java without a hassle. And the first step to do it is to find the right book to guide them. Amongst the multiple books available in the market, we have assembled the best java books that offer a concise description with proper examples and help to grasp the concepts easily.

1. Head First Java by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

If there is one book of Java that almost every Java programmer swears by, it is this masterpiece by Kathy Sierra. Apart from delving deep into the understanding of Object Oriented programming, the book covers all the important concepts of core Java like classes, inheritance, interface, and threads. Sierra and Bates have gone an extra mile to make Java interesting and fun in this book by incorporating thought-provoking examples and keeping a conversational tone to the language. For beginners, it is an ideal choice, thanks to the friendly writing, attractive visuals and quirky puzzles that help to grasp the understanding of Java.

2. Java: A Beginner’s Guide by Herbert Schildt

You cannot possibly have a computer science degree without coming across this gem from Herbert Schildt. One of the most recommended books of Java, the book is a medium-paced one which explains concepts followed by examples. Guiding readers from basics like writing and compiling a java program to more advanced concepts like generics and multithreaded programming, this book is a standard one for developing programmers. The latest version includes the new features from Java 8.

3. Effective Java Programming Language Guide by Joshua Bloch, Guy L. Steele Jr.

Bloch ensures a concise approach to Java that helps programmers leap from coding for fun to coding as a profession. Indeed, this is not a beginner’s book. But that being said, this is one of the best books to help veterans acquire an expertise in Java. The book is sectioned in a handful of items or suggestions that can be followed and corresponding examples for each suggestion. Reading this book you will understand the difference between programming and good programming. Bloch not only educates about the concepts of Java but focuses more on its applications.

4. Core Java Volume I & II( (Core Series) by Cay S. Horstmann

Horstmann excels in crafting a book that makes Java simple for budding programmers. The book features on this list because of the simplicity of the approach to programming. The Core Java series has two books – Fundamentals and Advanced. The Fundamentals book is a good start for beginners, even non-computer science students can benefit from this book. The volume II (Advanced) takes it to the edge by exploring more into Streams, XML, networking with Java, annotations, web services and others.

5. Java 8 in Action: Lambdas, Streams, and functional-style programming by Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, Alan Mycroft

Despite being the new kid on the block, the latest concepts with top-notch programming examples makes this book a winner. As the name suggests, this book presents the epitome of Java 8 features and how they can be implemented to improve our coding techniques. Writing multi-core applications, refactoring, debugging, and functional style programming are some of the operations that the book elaborates. For veteran Java programmers, this book is an ideal gateway into the new realms of core java.

Conclusion

To master Core Java is no herculean task. If you’re a beginner you can choose from the starter kit, while for advanced programmers our suggested advanced books on core Java can help them understand and code better. Overall, these 5 Java books are definitely ones that you can have in your shelf without thinking twice.