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Mastering Java on Your Own Can Work Wonders for Your Future Prospects
Java is among the premier programming languages that can create custom applications. The use of the Java language has increased across multiple industries. It is also known to have been the backbone of several industrial software. It uses object-oriented programming and is secure and fast. Java also has strong community support, and the number of career openings in Java is also on the rise.
To remain relevant you have to keep yourself acquainted with the language and get updated on its newly added features. Books are helpful in keeping you abreast of the learning curve. There are several books on Java that provide detailed knowledge about the language and provide a point of view depending on whether you are a novice or a professional. This article will also discuss the best books on Java for beginners and experts.
Best Books on Java for Beginners
Beginning Programming with Java for Dummies (5th Edition)
Beginners seeking to have a proper understanding of Java can do so through this "Dummies" series that deals more in making beginners grasp the basics of Java. It deals in detail with the basics building blocks and the Java Framework. The basic concepts like loops, arrays, variables, objects, classes, etc.
The current version of the book is updated with the latest Java version. It also covers how to install Java, the code compilation and includes various real-life scenarios that make learning easier and more fun. Various How-to guides allow beginners to have a complete grasp of Java. The book also covers the standardized programming challenges in this language.
The paperback edition is available on Amazon at Rs. 2,061.70.
Java: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners by Nathan Clark
If you have no experience in coding, then this book is another excellent option for you. It details how you can choose an IDE and start writing your first program in the language. It explains the various aspects of writing code using Java. The book also helps beginners understand how the Java Development Kit and the Java Runtime Environment work.
Though it is for beginners, several practical examples deal with the concepts. Various examples illustrate the topic. You can break them into the fundamental workings, while the output can be used to assess results. In a nutshell, the book covers the features and capabilities of the language, what Java offers and details about the various versions, apart from in-depth details about writing programs using the language.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 1,313 on Amazon.
Head First JavaKathy Sierra & Bert Bates
Beginners must not delve too much into How-to Guides right away lest they get overwhelmed. It is better to start with a friendly guide that provides a visual format to teach the basics of the language. It begins with the fundamentals of Java before moving to complex stuff like distributed programming, threads, network sockets, etc.
Apart from lucidly teaching the basic concepts, it also adequately covers the OOPS concept. It also relates the programming concepts in real life and typically covers the common OOPS errors by beginners. It also covers the language syntax, APIs and discusses in detail JavaBeans, servlets, and Swing.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 999 on Amazon.
Clean Code – A Handbook of Agile Software CraftsmanshipRobert Cecil Martin, a.k.a. Uncle Bob
It is a classic book that can help beginners understand the fundamentals of Java. It will help you write better code and discusses the OOPS principles in detail. What is unique is that the book has three sections based on the complexity of the principles covered.
The first section deals with the principles and patterns that govern Java. The following section deals with several case studies in order of complexity. The final section deals with the various programming practices and techniques that form part of the case studies. In short, the book covers the different methods that can make you an improved Java programmer.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 2,799 on Amazon.
Core Java Volume I – Fundamentals (11th Edition)
It is another option to learn the core fundamentals of Java. It covers the details of programming in Java and the APIs. Several examples show the code and modular status of Java. It also shows how easy the code is to manage even as the technology evolves.
Several topics are covered in the book, including the basics like objects, data structures, classes, etc. It then moves to advanced concepts like lambda expressions, concurrency, Swing and functional programming. It helps beginners start writing robust code. The readers can write safe and reusable code and can also build cross-platform GUIs through Swing.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 2,646 on Amazon.
Learn Java in 1 Day: Complete Beginners Guide
If you wish to learn Java basics within a short time, you must get hold of this book. It guarantees that you will learn the basics and addresses the basics of OOPS and Java. The Edition also shows the latest techniques that can be used to learn Java. The beginners will have an excellent time learning the various coding concepts like lambda expressions, methods, arrays, variables, etc.
The book also introduces the reader to various frameworks like Java Swing, Java Eclipse, Java SE8, etc. The reader can align different codes and encounter challenges in programming with a positive mind. Each chapter has short essays that can help in Java development. There are descriptions for each item that states what should or shouldn't be done.
It is available on Kindle for Rs. 449.
Think Java: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist by Allen Downey and Chris Mayfield
It is essential that beginners quickly learn the basics of the language. At the same time, you will learn to think about various coding aspects. This book teaches beginners on these lines. What is unique about this book is that there is a separate section on exercises that help the readers to master the skills of programming.
The book finds its place in several colleges' curriculum and helps beginners start thinking like a scientist. The authors begin with the basic concepts and make the readers grasp the same through lucid text. It allows the readers to tackle complex scenarios with examples and small steps. The reader can also benefit from various exercises, like puzzles, playing cards, word games, graphics, etc.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 650 on Amazon.
Books on Java for Experts
Optimizing Java
As you move towards being an expert, you must clearly understand various aspects of Java, like Garbage Collection, JVM, etc. It is also essential to know about performance tuning support too. This book addresses these aspects for an expert and focuses on JVM like bytecode, threading, JIT compilers. The reader can gain knowledge about JIT compilation and explore several performance tests.
The book focuses on performance tuning too and addresses several aspects. It allows the reader to learn how to tune various applications using a verifiable approach. It also details how Java can utilise modern hardware and operating systems to the fullest. It also deep dives into JVM Garbage Collection mechanisms.
The paperback version is priced at Rs. 1,550 on Amazon.
Java Puzzlers
Experts can use this book to enhance their knowledge of Java. The authors have provided detail about Java's core libraries and other critical aspects. One of the aspects of this book is the 95 puzzles that can educate the experts and further their Java knowledge. Some of them are challenging for several Java professionals too. They are grouped based on the features used, and all the puzzles have detailed solutions.
The book written by Neal Gafter and Joshua Bloch is about pitfalls in the Java language. The solutions explain much more than the behavioural aspects and show the reader the traps they can avoid. There is a concise taxonomy of all the pitfalls that can be useful for experts to consider when they codify complex scenarios.
The paperback version is priced at Rs. 1,879.23 on Amazon.
Thinking in Java (4th Edition)
If you are trying to learn advanced Java and its various aspects, then this book is the one you must pick. It will act as a guide that will help you write efficient code and use the best features of Java. One of the unique features of this book is the 700+ compiling files and 500+ Java programs, with several of them written specifically for this Edition.
The book also has tutorials related to extensive source codes, keywords, etc. It is a systematic process to learn advanced aspects of Java. The readers can also know about concepts like when to use inheritance, class design issues, polymorphism and information hiding topics. The book deals with network programming and Swing interface classes. Even beginners can go through this book to gain knowledge about advanced aspects of Java.
It is priced at Rs. 799 on Amazon.
Effective Java (3rd Edition)
As you move forward towards being an expert, you must give this book a read. It is highly recommended due to the clarity and style that make it easy to understand. Joshua Bloch has written APIs and helps readers understand the details better. The reader also learns how to use the APIs correctly.
The book also details the various challenges faced by a programmer. It also discusses the new design patterns, including features like enums to generics, autoboxing and annotations. The book also showcases the best practices adhered to by software engineers globally. It can also help understand the feature set, language constructs and idioms. Experts can gain knowledge about java.io, Java.lang, Java.util, etc.
The book is priced at Rs. 820 on Flipkart.
Java By Comparison: Become a Java Craftsman in 70 Examples
As you become an expert, you can write clear code and can be reused by others. It provides advice to the readers to improve their coding style through small examples. It offers several tips and bugs that all programmers must know. The book allows the reader to become a Java expert, avoid formatting issues, and use the correct iteration style.
The book teaches about various conventions that experts must follow to understand the code better and to name the objects correctly. Experts can impress their colleagues through clear Object-oriented programming and elegant programming. One of the unique aspects of this book is that it compares flaws in code with the best examples of improved code.
The paperback edition is available at Rs. 2,441 at Amazon.
Head First Design Pattern
Are you aware that could be someone who may have solved similar problems in Java that you may face? This book, authored by Elisabeth Freeman, shows the tried and tested patterns used by Java developers. Readers can use the best practices to hone their Java skills and design flexible, reusable, and elegant code. They can grasp knowledge about the use of design patterns and use them correctly in Java.
This book uses the latest cognitive learning theories for an improved learning experience. An enriched format is akin to the way your brain works. The book does not use too much to block your brain and make the concepts difficult to understand.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 1,499 on Amazon.
Mastering Java Machine Learning: A Java Developer's Guide to Implementing Machine Learning and Big Data Architectures
The book is among the best options for experts to learn about Java. It allows the reader to learn advanced techniques in machine learning and several other new-generation technologies. On finishing the book, developers can understand the methods to build machine learning models.
The readers can have a mastery over the critical java machine learning libraries. They can understand how to solve various problems with adequate guidance from the author. The book covers several topics used in the machine learning domain. There is a chance to gain sufficient knowledge of statistics, probability, and linear algebra. You can also learn standard issues like clustering, classification, text mining, etc. There are also ten case studies that highlight different aspects of machine learning.
The paperback edition is priced at Rs. 3,000 on Amazon.
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Wrapping Up
Good luck with your Java journey! It’s certainly not going to be easy, but by following this roadmap and guide, you are one step closer to becoming the Java Developer you always wanted to be. Books are great but online courses can also kickstart your journey. Happy Java learning.